US eyeing broad range of Libya options-Pentagon, Posted by Meosha Eaton

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is trying to give the White House the broadest range of possible actions as it steps up pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, defense officials said.

Two amphibious assault ships will arrive shortly in the Mediterranean, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, and 400 Marines are being sent, poised to take part in evacuation and humanitarian operations if needed. "We are looking at a lot of options and contingencies. No decisions have been made on any other actions," Gates said, noting that the United Nations had not authorized use of force in Libya and that NATO countries had not reached an agreement about whether military might should be used.

"Our job is to give the president the broadest possible decision space," Gates said.
The repositioning of U.S. ships and aircraft closer to Libya is widely seen as a symbolic show of force since neither the United States nor its NATO allies have shown any appetite for direct military intervention in the turmoil that has seen Gaddafi lose control of large swaths of his country.

The United States and its NATO allies, however, are considering imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said setting up a no-fly zone would be a highly complex operation.

"If we were to set it up ... we'd have to work our way through doing it in a safe manner and not put ourselves in jeopardy" from Libyan air defense, he said. Mullen also said there was no indication that Iran had a role in stirring up the popular unrest that has brought sweeping political change across the Middle East.

(Reporting by Missy Ryan; Editing by Doina Chiacu)