I think our increased deployments reflect the fact that Russia may feel it is necessary to escalate things.
Lots of ways to look at the 101st deployment:
Initially, I thought we should not read anything into the fact that the 101st was deployed vs. any other unit. I just figured they were more ready than others.
But, the 101st is highly mobile, and relatively easily deployed to stop, say, an invasion of Ukraine from Belarus. So, they might be more of a threat to Russia than say, a normal mechanized unit.
But, they are also easier to send to Europe for a quick deployment and a quick return. So, maybe they don't indicate a major escalation by us. They are a "light" unit.
My default is still that they were just next in line in the readiness queue, and it is just happenstance that they have an historical European role to tout publicly. But who the hell knows. I sure don't.