WASHINGTON, Dec 26 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is expected to send 3,500 troops into Kuwait to stand ready for use in Iraq, a senior defense official said on Tuesday as the Bush administration weighs adjusting force levels in the war.

The "call-forward" force was requested by Army Gen. John Abizaid, head of the military command responsible for the Middle East, and must be approved by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not know if Gates had yet approved the deployment, but said the announcement was expected as early as Wednesday.

The unit would come from Fort Bragg and fill a reserve slot that has been empty since commanders moved the previous call-forward force into the war zone earlier this year.

The troops could be in place in Kuwait by mid-January, the official said.

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