Story highlights Marco Rubio and Rand Paul weigh in on a dramatic development

Rubio said the key question for escalation is what Russia does next

Washington (CNN) The Turkish downing of a Russian jet on Tuesday injected even more national security intensity into the 2016 presidential race —and GOP candidates were quick to project strength.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush briefly touched on the incident during a campaign speech in Spartanburg, South Carolina, saying it was the very reason American leadership is needed in the world.

"We're living in a world rife with insecurity," Bush said. "Today was another example of it, where a Russian plane was shot down and a helicopter apparently shot down right behind it. And it's because America's leadership in the world is so necessary for peace and security."

Both Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, positioned their viewpoints as the best answer to the situation.

Paul released a statement highlighting how his foreign policy positions are distinct from most of his opponents in the GOP primary. The libertarian-leaning Republican in general strongly opposes foreign intervention, and clashed with Rubio in a recent presidential debate over the need to cut back military spending.

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