U.S. Deploys Carrier Group; ‘Nothing Unusual’: Reagan : No Decision Made Yet on Libya

The Navy, with the routine deployment of a carrier battle group into the Mediterranean Sea, has forces in place to launch a retaliatory strike against Libya, Pentagon sources said today.

But President Reagan has made no decision to proceed with any type of military response to the Dec. 27 terrorist attacks on the Rome and Vienna airports, and any such mission would be fraught with difficulty and danger, said Pentagon officials who spoke on condition they would not be identified.

The sources said top officials, including Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, were asked to prepare for a possible “strategy meeting” at the White House on Saturday.

Reagan, posing for pictures in Mexicali, Mexico, with Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid, was asked about reports of U.S. military movements in the Mediterranean.

Not Out of Ordinary

“I’m not aware that we’re doing anything out of the ordinary at all,” he said.

Asked whether a buildup of U.S. forces was under way, Reagan said, “You’ve got to stop listening to (Libyan leader Moammar) Kadafi,” who has accused the United States of aggressive intentions.

The United States has accused the Kadafi government of supporting the Palestinian group blamed for the airport raids, in which 19 people died, including five Americans.

At the Pentagon, one official, stressing the hazards of an American military operation, said of the Libyans: “They’re just sitting there saying, ‘Make my day.’ There would be no surprise. They’re sitting there on alert.”

Libyan Arms Modern

The sources noted that Libya has a wide range of sophisticated weapons, including Soviet-made fighters and surface-to-air missiles as well as coastal patrol boats, half a dozen diesel-powered submarines and anti-aircraft guns and radars.

The United States lost two warplanes in December, 1983, when it carried out retaliatory air strikes in Lebanon.

The Pentagon sources said an aircraft carrier battle group in Norfolk, Va., had been told to make initial preparations for an unscheduled deployment to the Mediterranean. They identified the carrier America as the recipient of the order. There were indications that Navy contingency plans might include a similar order for the battleship Iowa.

No Order to Deploy

“There has been no order to deploy,” one source said. “They have been notified to make prudent preparations. If there is going to be a long-term terrorist threat, it might make sense to have two carriers instead of one in the Med.”

Once dispatched, the America and its group would require about 10 days to make the Atlantic passage.

On Wednesday, Kadafi vowed a “never-ending war” if “an aggression on Libya occurs.” Libya sent its ships to sea on Thursday and ordered its forces on alert.

Today, in what Navy officials went to pains to describe as a routine action, the carrier Coral Sea and its battle group ended a holiday port leave in Italy and steamed into the central Mediterranean. Sources said the group includes two cruisers, two destroyers and two frigates in addition to the Coral Sea.

The carrier left Naples with a small group of Italian journalists on board for a one-day tour, suggesting there were no immediate plans to launch an air strike.

Other sources said, however, that a small number of combat planes had been dispatched from the United States to the Mediterranean region to ensure that the Coral Sea’s air wing was at full strength.

Pentagon officials cited a host of sticky military and political problems that would be involved in a strike against Libya. “On the other hand, you can only bluster so long with threats of retaliation before you have to do something,” another source said.