I hope Keane doesn’t have to eat those words!
I do not think that Hornet driver would have gone after that Flanker if the RoE were not already in place. And with Mattis running things I do not believe he would have set the RoE unless he was confident in the ability of the Navy to absolutely control the airspace above Syria. If there was thhe slightest doubt about what the Russians are capable of the pilot would have been refused permission to fire. Mattis knows that decisions and policy are always made based on an adversary’s capabilities, not their intent.
The Russians have watched and seen how we can’t win against some rag heads. After the Kosovo fiasco, they got all our codes.
The Russians are very very confident
Gen Keane and his fellow perfumed princes should tread lightly here