Open Skies Treaty Signatories

The us withdrawal took effect on november 22 2020 and the united states is no longer a state party to the treaty on open skies the us state department said in a statement sunday.

Open skies treaty signatories. The treaty established an open skies consultative commission oscc that conducts its work by consensus. Daryl kimball executive director 202 463 8270 x107. The treaty was signed in 1992 and came into force in 2002 allowing 35 signatory countries including the united states and russia to fly unarmed surveillance flights over each other s territory. The open skies treaty establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the entire territory of its 25 signatories north atlantic treaty organization allies eastern european members of the former warsaw pact and russia ukraine belarus and georgia.

The incumbent us president donald trump on may 21 declared the united states intention to leave the treaty on open skies which allows its signatories to make flights over any territories of. The treaty was signed in 1992 and came into force in 2002 allowing 35 signatory countries including the united states and russia to fly unarmed surveillance flights over each other s territory. The treaty which allows nearly three dozen signatory countries to inspect others military installations from above entered into force in 2002 but u s. The treaty on open skies was signed in march 1992 in helsinki by 23 member nations of the organization for security and cooperation in europe osce.

The treaty on open skies is an iconic arms control treaty that was signed in the immediate aftermath of the cold war in 1992 and entered into force in 2002 allowing unarmed reconnaissance flights over the territories of signatory states to collect information on each other s military forces. 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. The trump administration announced in may it would leave the pact in late 2020. The united states is now officially out of the open skies treaty but questions remain about the road ahead.

It establishes a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of its participants. Officials have raised complaints about russia s.