{"id":14218,"date":"2020-11-25T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/25\/trump-left-the-open-skies-treaty-but-dont-write-it-off-yet\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:10:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:10:58","slug":"trump-left-the-open-skies-treaty-but-dont-write-it-off-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2020\/11\/25\/trump-left-the-open-skies-treaty-but-dont-write-it-off-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump left the Open Skies Treaty, but don\u2019t write it off yet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 President Donald Trump made good Saturday on his decision to withdraw<\/a> the U.S. from the Open Skies Treaty<\/a>, but it looks like President-elect Joe Biden, who opposed that move, may have a path to revive the pact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because it could take months for the Air Force to move through the legal and bureaucratic processes necessary to decommission the Boeing OC-135B<\/a> planes flown from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., to execute the treaty mission, it appears the Biden administration would have ample time to reverse course. The treaty permits 30-plus nations to conduct unarmed, observation flights over each other\u2019s territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe final decision on disposition of Open Skies Treaty resources has not yet been made,\u201d an Air Force official told Defense News on Tuesday. \u201cThe 45th Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt AFB is still flying local OC-135 missions at a greatly reduced rate in order to maintain aircrew qualifications, while the Air Force continues to assess options for realigning, repurposing, or retiring the two 1960s-era OC-135B aircraft, as well as other associated equipment in accordance with DoD guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite reports the Trump administration might be scrambling to get rid of the OC-135B planes, a congressional source said the Air Force plans to keep the planes until the end of fiscal 2021 and service leaders had yet to make a firm decision about what to do with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administration, with backing from a number of Republican lawmakers, announced in May it wanted out of the treaty because Russia was violating the pact, and imagery collected during the flights can be obtained quickly at less cost from U.S. or commercial satellites. U.S. allies tried to forestall the move<\/a> and generally argue the treaty is a valuable channel for transparency and dialogue between Russia and the United States, the world\u2019s top two nuclear superpowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the time that the U.S. and allies in the pact lived up to their treaty commitments and obligations, but \u201cRussia has flagrantly and continuously violated the treaty in various ways for years. This is not a story exclusive to just the treaty on Open Skies, unfortunately, for Russia has been a serial violator of many of its arms control obligations and commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overflights were set up decades ago to promote trust and avert conflict, and Biden has panned the idea of a withdrawal, saying it would \u201cexacerbate growing tensions between the West and Russia, and increase the risks of miscalculation and conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t