Jimmy Panetta: “In 1955, President Eisenhower proposed an agreement which would allow overflight of the participant countries to gather…”

“In 1955, President Eisenhower proposed an agreement which would allow overflight of the participant countries to gather information about military forces and activities with the direct intent of minimizing military escalation between the West and Russia. In 1992, Eisenhower's vision was realized after negotiations by a Republican administration that led to the Open Skies Treaty, a treaty which has brought more openness but also more mutual understanding and an avenue to hold Russia accountable for their aggression against our allies in Europe. But, more importantly, the Open Skies Treaty calls for higher levels of openness and transparency, leading to better predictability and stability, which, ultimately, will lessen tensions by trusting and, yes, by verifying. Unfortunately, on May 22, the administration submitted a notice of intent that the U.S. would withdraw from the treaty in violation of the fiscal year 2020 NDAA, which requires a 120-day notice to Congress prior to doing so. This announcement was obviously met with strong opposition from our NATO allies and treaty participants and, yes, many here in the United States, for no country adherent has benefited more from this transparency than the United States, which, together with its allies, overflies Russia far more often than Russia can overfly NATO countries.…”