F-15C's to Turkey....is this prep for an air war?

via Daily Beast.

Officially, the deployment of F-15C Eagle twin-engine fighters to Incirlik, Turkey—which the Pentagon announced late last week—is meant to “ensure the safety” of America’s NATO allies, Laura Seal, a Defense Department spokesperson, told The Daily Beast.
That could mean that the single-seat F-15s and the eight air-to-air missiles they routinely carry will help the Turkish air force patrol Turkey’s border with Syria, intercepting Syrian planes and helicopters that periodically stray into Turkish territory.
But more likely, the F-15s will be escorting attack planes and bombers as they strike ISIS militants in close proximity to Syrian regime forces and the Russian warplanes that, since early October, have bombed ISIS and U.S.-backed rebels fighting the Syrian troops.
Seal declined to discuss the deployment in detail, but hinted at its true purpose. “I didn’t say it wasn’t about Russia,” she said.

Here.

I've seen the reporting on this for a couple of days.  I've surfed Russian Military Blogs.  Everyone is fired up about this.  Many in the Russian blogosphere are saying that they're expecting some type of provocation...that the US is planning on bombing Assad forces.

I don't think so.

I do think that this is another of the dick measuring steps that the Obama Administration does when they feel humiliated.  Did you catch his speech where the news media focused on his statement about Republican Presidential candidates not being able to handle Russia or China if they can't handle CNBC journalists?



The telling part was at the beginning.  Where he talks about "people saying Putin is kicking sand in his face".

This has moved beyond doing whats in the best interest of the nation.  Its even gone beyond legacy.  This is about a power play.  I never considered how stung the White House must be.  Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran (the country that he risked so much political capital to bring into the fold) and Egypt have all traveled to consult with Putin.  Several of those nations are forging new bonds with Russia.

For the White House it wasn't suppose to work out this way and they're mad. The bigger problem?  These are the kind of moves that could accidentally escalate the crisis.  One cowboy pilot on either side could start an international incident.

Long story short?  Shit could get real..one mistake and it could kick off.