Russia to Conduct Open Skies Surveillance Flight over US

ria.ru ^ | 11/24/2012

[Tailgunner Joe]

MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Russian military inspectors will begin a survey flight this week above the United States under the international Open Skies Treaty, Russia’s Defense Ministry has said.

Russian experts will conduct the survey flight over the US territory in a Tupolev Tu-154 M/LK-1 aircraft during the period from November 25 and December 3, a spokesman said.

The flight will start from the Travis Air Force Base, California. Its maximum range will be 4,250 kilometers (2,600 miles).

During the flight, Russian and US specialists will operate surveillance equipment on board of the aircraft as set out in the international Open Skies Treaty.

This will be the 36th survey flight this year made by Russian specialists over the territories of the Open Skies Treaty member states. Russia ratified the treaty in May 2001.

The Open Skies Treaty, which entered into force on January 1, 2002, establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of its 34 member states to promote openness and the transparency of military forces and activities.

[cripplecreek]

You’re supposed to point fingers at the democrats only. How do you expect the republicans to screw us over if we’re going to lay blame at their feet?

I’m really starting to think the whole game is to keep the people divided so our anger isn’t turned on them all where it belongs.

[tet68]

Do we know what day they are coming over?
We should all get out our lifesize cardboard
cutouts of stealth fighters and put them in the
back yard and on expressway entrance ramps.

[EBH]

Advice & Consent of U.S. Senate: 6 August 1993
U.S. Ratification: 2 November 1993
Entry into Force (EIF): 1 January 2002

http://www.acq.osd.mil/tc/treaties/os/execsum.htm

Try again...had nothing to do with Bush...

[tanknetter]

This is the first I have heard of this.

"Doveryai, no proveryai" (trust, but verify) - Ronald Reagan, upon the signing of the IMF Treaty, December 8, 1987

So I'm not sure why. Russian (and before that Soviet/WarPac) military inspectors have been part of just about every arms treaty we've signed with them for the last 30 years. They've been here in the US on-site monitoring compliance with SALT, the aforementioned IMF, START, START II, etc.

Open Skies is just another one of these treaties. Note that we (the US) performs Open Skies flights over THEIR territory as well (using modified EC-135s). And the monitoring crews are bi-national (the article specifically says that our guys are working the equipment with theirs)

I don't see what the big deal is here. This has been going on for a long time, under many treaties, and it's a joint US-Russian effort for which we receive reciprocity. Before getting all spun up people should recall that great Reagan quote ... and realize that it needs to work both ways.

[Mouton]

Let me know when they are over north florida so I can either give em the bird or a nice moon.

[elkfersupper]

Try again...had nothing to do with Bush...

You try again. I never said it did.

[andyk]

Love it. Skunkworks showed us how to do that properly with heat signatures.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Well we can’t blame this one on Barry. Lets see, who was president in 2001?

[Selene]

The timing of this is odd.

+ they frequently seem to show up unexpectedly.

[Jack Hammer]

This is sheerest madness, and can only lead to trouble.

[Peter ODonnell]

Vodka hell is going on?

[Selene]

From the Treaty summary referenced above:

“States Parties are allowed to conduct observation flights on 72 hours notice”

So, this is a recent development.

[hattend]

When did we ratify it?

If before Jan 20th...Clinton!

[The Duke]

We haven’t had national secrets for decades.

Yep, just look at the vacant guard shacks outside many of our military bases.

[cripplecreek]

Just look at the international crisis group and no rational person could believe we have national secrets.

http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/about/board.aspx

[kjam22]

They’re updating google maps...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

You’re right.
No big deal.

Plus a whole lot cheaper than U-2s.

[bigheadfred]

That is an excellent idea.

[Strategerist]

The treaty was a George H.W. Bush initiative and he signed it in 1989.

[tanknetter]

The timing of this is odd.

Per the article, this is the "36th survey flight this year made by Russian specialists over the territories of the Open Skies Treaty member states".

So it seems they're conducting a flight roughly every week and a half. But not just in the US but of other treaty member states.

Here's the US Dept of State site on Open Skies, looks like it was updated just this past March. This part seems pretty pertinent: "Typically, the United States receives 6-8 observation flights from Russia each year, while we conduct 14-16 flights in Russia." So IOW (and assuming DoS is trustworthy in this matter) the US conducts roughly twice as many flights over Russia as the Russians do on us.