One month ago, in a move which US military officials admitted was aimed squarely at “sending a clear message to Russia”, the US deployed not one but two aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean: the USS Truman and USS Eisenhower. As we reported at the time, a military official in Washington said the Truman’s shift was a signal to Moscow and a demonstration of the Navy’s operational flexibility and reach. “It provides some needed presence in the Med to check…the Russians,” the official said.