Originally Posted by USMCFLYR

What I'm saying is that the blustering about 'could have been a shoot down per ROE' is just that.....blustering.

I don't know the current ROE in the AOR (nor do I even claim to know the past ROE for such a weapons platform like a DDG obviously) but somehow I seriously doubt that the rhetoric is spot on and accurate from Secretary Kerry.

My $1 bet is that everything went down exactly as scripted in the big picture. A many others have said here - -nothing new here. It is just a chance to talk big on TV and manufacture a platform for some chest thumping on the world stage.