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Archive information released online from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009. History of the Department of State During the Clinton Presidency (1993-2001)
Released by the Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs
Appendix 1: Chronology of the Department of State During the Clinton Administration
November 3, 1993: The United States ratified the Open Skies Treaty, which had been signed March 24, 1992 and approved by the Senate August 6, 1993.
Treaty on Open Skies - Wikipedia
History At a Geneva Conference meeting with Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin in 1955, President Eisenhower proposed that the United States and Soviet Union conduct surveillance overflights of each other's territory to reassure each country that the other was not preparing to attack.[3] The fears and suspicions of the Cold War led Soviet General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev to reject Eisenhower's proposal.[3] Thirty-four years later, the Open Skies concept was reintroduced by President George H. W. Bush as a means to build confidence and security between all North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Warsaw Pact countries.
In February 1990, an international Open Skies conference involving all NATO and Warsaw Pact countries opened in Ottawa, Canada. Subsequent rounds of negotiations were held in Budapest, Hungary, Vienna, Austria, and Helsinki, Finland.
On March 24, 1992,[1] the Open Skies Treaty was signed in Helsinki by Secretary of State James Baker and foreign ministers from 23 other countries. The treaty entered into force on January 2, 2002, after Russia and Belarus completed ratification procedures.
In November 1992, President Bush assigned responsibility for overall training, management, leadership, coordination and support for U.S. Open Skies observation missions to the On-Site Inspection Agency (OSIA), now a part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Until entry into force in January 2002, DTRA support for the treaty involved participating in training and joint trial flights (JTFs). The U.S. has conducted over 70 JTFs since 1993. By March 2003, DTRA had successfully certified 16 camera configurations on the OC-135B aircraft. They also had contributed to the certification of the Bulgarian AN-30, Hungarian AN-26, POD Group (consisting of Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Spain) C-130H,Romanian AN-30, Russian AN-30, and Ukrainian AN-30. The United States successfully flew its first Open Skies mission over Russia in December 2002.
With entry into force of the treaty, formal observation flights began in August 2002. During the first treaty year, States Parties conducted 67 observation flights. In 2004, States Parties conducted 74 missions, and planned 110 missions for 2005. On March 8 and 9, 2007, Russia conducted overflights of Canada under the Treaty.[4] The OSCC continues to address modalities for conducting observation missions and other implementation issues.
Since 2002 a total of 40 missions have taken place over the UK there were 24 quota missions conducted by: Russia—20; Ukraine—three; and Sweden—one. There were 16 training flights conducted by: Benelux (joint with Estonia); Estonia (joint with Benelux); Georgia—three (one joint with Sweden); Sweden—three (one joint with Georgia); USA - three; Latvia; Lithuania; Romania; Slovenia; and Yugoslavia.[5] Also since 2002 the UK has undertaken a total of 51 open skies missions. 38 were quota missions to the following countries: Ukraine (five); Georgia (seven) and Russia (26). 13 missions were training missions to the following nations: Bulgaria; Yugoslavia; Estonia; Slovenia (three); Sweden (three); USA; Latvia, Lithuania and the Benelux. Until 2008 they used an Andover aircraft but since then they have used a variety of aircraft including a Saab 340, An30, and an OS-135.[6] The flights cost approximately £50,000 per operational mission, and approximately £25,000 for training missions with an approximate annual cost of £175,000.[7]
Open Skies Treaty - fas.org
President [GHW] Bush revived the Open Skies concept in May 1989. Each of the parties to the Treaty on Open Skies will permit unarmed aircraft operated by any other party to fly over its territory to observe military forces and activities. By allowing the participants to gain insights and understanding into the military capabilities of potential adversaries, the treaty can, according to its supporters, build confidence, reduce the chances of military confrontation, and encourage cooperation among the nations of Europe.
This report provides basic information about the rationale for the Open Skies Treaty, the provisions that govern its implementation, and the capabilities of the aircraft and sensors that will be used during the observation flights. This information can help Congress review the implementation of the treaty; it may also help Members respond to concerns that constituents may raise about the presence of Open Skies aircraft and observation flights around the country. The first section of this report briefly reviews the history of negotiations on Open Skies. The second discusses key provisions of the 1992 treaty. The third reviews the current status of the treaty and its implementation.
The parties to the Treaty on Open Skies have agreed to permit unarmed aircraft to conduct observation flights over their entire territories. [...] Open Skies aircraft can be equipped with four types of sensors: optical panoramic and framing cameras, video cameras; infrared line-scanning devices; and sideways-looking synthetic aperture radars. These sensors must be based on off-the-shelf technology that is available to all participants in the treaty. The treaty includes quotasvthat specify maximum numbers of observation flights that can occur within each nation each year and the maximum number of observation flights each nation can conduct each year. For the United States, these quotas are 42 flights per year
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