According to senior administration officials, U.S. will inform Russia on Friday that the United States is pulling out of the Open Skies Treaty

Can you give a little info about the treaty?

Thanks!

The Treaty on Open Skies entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 party states. It establishes a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of its participants. The treaty is designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants, regardless of size, a direct role in gathering information about military forces and activities of concern to them. Open Skies is one of the most wide-ranging international efforts to date promoting openness and transparency of military forces and activities. The concept of "mutual aerial observation" was initially proposed to Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin at the Geneva Conference of 1955 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower; however, the Soviets promptly rejected the concept and it lay dormant for several years. The treaty was eventually signed as an initiative of U.S. president (and former Central Intelligence Agency Director) George H. W. Bush in 1989. Negotiated by the then-members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the agreement was signed in Helsinki, Finland, on March 24, 1992.[2]

This treaty is not related to civil-aviation open skies agreements.
[link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)]

Dark winter....

The administration says it wants out of the Open Skies Treaty because Russia is violating the pact, and imagery collected during the flights can be obtained quickly at less cost from U.S. or commercial satellites.

[link to apnews.com (secure)]

Basically, we just don't need it.

If the Russians do...sucks to be them!

Russia doesn't need to fly over the US to see it's full over crazy mofos.

So more sovereignty less globalism. Good deal.

Thanks!

Yup..

Abandoning the Open Skies Treaty is a gift to Russia.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have expressed alarm about reports that the Trump administration may abandon the Open Skies Treaty. Put into effect in 2002, it allows the United States, Russia, and 32 other countries to conduct short-notice flights over one another’s territories to monitor military deployments. The pact’s defenders point out that helps NATO allies monitor Russian moves — even as technical limitations prevent Russia from making much use of the imagery for purposes of espionage. That’s part of why the treaty is worth keeping.

[link to www.defenseone.com (secure)]

I can see why you pr0xy up to post stuff like that.

We lose nothing by pulling out.



We can get everything we need from space.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, a retired United States Air Force brigadier general, said, “The Open Skies Treaty promotes understanding, trust and stability among the 34 member nations. As a signatory to the treaty, we get valuable access to Russian airspace and military airfields on short notice… I believe the US was justified in terminating our participation in the INF treaty, but I’ve yet to see a compelling reason to withdraw from Open Skies.”

[link to www.defenseone.com (secure)]

Interesting comment to be coming from a Republican.

Understanding and trust with Vlad?






:putinlittlehat: