U.S. repositioning forces around Libya: Pentagon

The U.S. military is repositioning naval and air forces around Libya, a Pentagon official said on Monday, as international demands intensify for an end to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule.

“We have planners working and various contingency plans and I think it’s safe to say as part of that we’re repositioning forces to be able to provide for that flexibility once decisions are made … to be able to provide options and flexibility,” said Colonel David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman.

“We’re still in that planning and preparing mode should we be called upon to do any of those types of missions, whether humanitarian and otherwise.”

Lapan declined to give details about the types of ships or units being repositioned or how U.S. commanders plan to use them.

“No decisions have been made yet,” he said.

The Pentagon now has two aircraft carriers in its naval command region that includes the Arabian Sea and Gulf, Lapan said, but does not have any carriers in the Mediterranean