October 7,2008:  The U.S. Air Force is now flying F-15s along the Russian border. Not in Alaska, but in Lithuania. This sort of thing does not go down well in Russia, where it still rankles that Russia was on the losing side of the Cold War.

What is actually happening is even more irritating in Russia. The U.S. Air Force recently sent 130 of its personnel, and four F-15s, to an air base in Lithuania, where the fighters will serve as part of a NATO quick reaction force in ones of NATOs newest members. Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia, joined NATO four years ago. It's common for NATO members to train or operate in each others territory. After all, NATO is basically a mutual defense organization. So for the last four years, NATO nations have taken turns sending jet fighter detachments to the Baltic States, to serve as a quick reaction force, and to fly patrols along the border (with Russia, or at least the Kaliningrad district.) The U.S. F-15s replaced a unit of German aircraft. This is the second time U.S. aircraft have performed this mission.