Bulletin:Pentagon Prepared as Speaker Nancy Pelosi Departs for Asia on Military VIP Plane - Updated

The Department of Defense is prepared to deploy military assets to protect Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and her Congressional delegation,should she choose to visit Taiwan over hostile Chinese rhetoric against her planned visit at the invitation of Taiwan,the Associated Press quoted U.S. officials as saying.Mrs.Pelosi declined to reveal whether or not she was going to Taiwan for security reasons.As Speaker,Nancy Pelosi is third in line for the presidency,after Vice President Kamala Harris.It's been 25 years since one of her predecessors,Speaker Newt Gingrich,traveled to Taiwan in 1997.Although President Joseph R. Biden didn't seem enthusiastic about her plans,he has no authority to order her not to go,since she is a member of the co-equal Legislative Branch.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,General Mark Milley,US Army,indicated that,should the Speaker or anyone else decide to visit Taiwan,the Pentagon will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of her visit.Military assets already deployed to the Indo-Pacific Region are considered adequate for the task. China has warned it will take "firm and forceful measures" against such a visit in order to safeguard what it considers its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.Accompanying Mrs.Pelosi will be Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-New York),Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee and unspecified others. According to the AP sources,the protection provided to Pelosi and her delegation will apply to her flights into and out of Taiwan;but also while she is on the ground.There would be overlapping rings of protection for her throughout her visit.There would also be search and rescue assets on alert in case of an accident in the air or on the ground.In addition to possibly visiting Taiwan,the Speaker is planning to visit South Korea,Singapore,Japan and Malaysia.Said Congressman Darin La Hood (R-Texas): It is inappropriate for foreign governments,including the Chinese government,to attempt to influence the ability or the right to travel for the Speaker,Members of Congress,or other U.S. Government officials to Taiwan or anywhere else in the world.* The South China Morning Post said that the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group had departed Singapore on Tuesday,heading in the direction of the South China Sea.A US Navy spokesman confirmed that the Reagan CSG was now in the South China Sea,but declined to comment on the Pelosi visit.Besides the USS Ronald Reagan,the CSG consists of the embarked Carrier Air Wing V (CVW5);the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54);and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76).Customarily,a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine also accompanies a Carrier Strike Group,but is not announced.A sensitive source told Radio Free Asia that the Reagan CSG could sail close to the east side of Taiwan in a show of power,but will not engage in any confrontation with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).U.S. Indo-Pacific Command declined to comment on the RFA report.* Updates:Speaker Pelosi's plane left San Francisco on Saturday.It is a Boeing C-40C and flew at an altitude of 32,000 ft/9.7536 km.The plane has an American flag on its tail and "United States of America" on its fuselage,with the livery resembling the Air Force One colours.The C-40C is a military version of the Boeing 737 Next Generation.It has auxiliary fuel tanks giving an unrefueled range of up to 5,000 nautical miles,or up to 5800 mi/9300 km.The C-40C is a VIP transport version for Cabinet members and Congressional use.The D.C. Air National Guard operates two of the aircraft,and the US Air Force Reserve 932nd Airlift Wing operates three more of them out of Scott Air Force Base,Illinois.* Also on Saturday,the PLA conducted live-fire drills near the Pingtan Islands off Fujian Province,near the Taiwan Strait.As well,the PLA Navy (PLAN) conducted exercises off the Chinese South Coast near Guangdong on the South China Sea,where the USS Ronald Reagan CSG is also sailing.