Speaking today in Germany during meetings with European officials, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter confirmed that the US is once again considering options for the further escalation of the war against ISIS, which would involve sending more US ground troops into both Iraq and Syria.

The US has announced two such escalations in the past two weeks, with 217 troops announced to be heading to Iraq on April 18, and 250 more troops being deployed to Syria just last week. Despite this, President Obama continues to present his wars as something other than "boots on the ground."

Carter's talk of yet more escalation, though nor surprising, comes so close to the last escalations that it's a little disconcerting, with Carter only saying the US "are always looking to build momentum" in the war, and offering no details on how many more troops might be deployed.