*EPF415 04/26/01
Fact Sheet: Open Skies Treaty, Typical Observation Mission
(Issued by State Department Bureau of Arms Control) (940)

(The following fact sheet describing a typical observation mission under the Open Skies Treaty was released by the State Department's Bureau of Arms Control in April 2001.)

The Treaty on Open Skies is one of the most wide-ranging international arms-control efforts to date to promote openness and transparency in military forces and activities. It dramatically advances confidence building and enhances national security in the new circumstances of the post-Cold War world. Observation flights under the Open Skies Treaty are conducted with unarmed, fixed-wing aircraft outfitted with a suite of Treaty-permitted sensors. For its missions, the United States plans to fly the OC-135B aircraft (a modified WC-135B), a military version of the Boeing 707 formerly used for weather reconnaissance and capable of accommodating 38 personnel. An Open Skies logo on the tail signifies the aircraft's historic task.

Initial Notification of a Flight:

An Open Skies flight is conducted on short notice and the observed State Party has no right of refusal. Observation teams do not arrive unannounced: one Treaty Party notifies another that it intends to conduct an observation flight at least 72 hours before it plans to arrive at the POE (point of entry). All other States Parties are notified at the same time of the request. A notification indicates an ETA (estimated time of arrival), the POE where the observation team will arrive, and the designated "Open Skies Airfield" from which the mission will launch. Also identified are the names and functions of the observation team from a master list previously supplied to all States Parties.

The observed State Party must acknowledge notification of the request within 24 hours and can indicate at that time that it will provide its own aircraft, or "taxi," for the mission.

Arrival and Pre-Flight Inspection:

The Treaty states that an observing State Party has just 96 hours from the notified ETA to complete its observation mission. Upon arrival, the aircraft's sensor covers are inspected to ensure that the sensors were masked during the inbound flight. Formal reception procedures, passport control, and a briefing on the weather situation all occur within one hour of arrival. If the observing State Party will use its own observation aircraft, the observed State Party is ready with a list of pre-flight inspectors, equipment to be used to inspect the aircraft, and a pre-flight inspection plan for review by the observing State Party. Only eight hours are permitted for the pre-flight inspection.

Demonstration flights may be conducted before the actual observation flight to verify that the aircraft's sensors meet the requirements of the Treaty. If the aircraft is provided by the observing State Party and the observed State Party requests a demonstration flight, 24 hours may be added to the 96-hour mission time limit. If the aircraft is supplied by the observed State Party at its request, the observing State Party may also request a demonstration flight but no additional time is added to the mission's 96 hours.

Also upon arrival at the Open Skies airfield, the observing State Party submits its mission plan to the observed State Party which has four hours to accept it. If the observed State Party does not agree to the plan as submitted, both States Parties are allowed four additional hours to agree to proposed changes. Only legitimate reasons of flight safety or the inability of an Open Skies airfield, alternate airfield, or refueling station to support the mission may justify a change in the mission plan.

Mission:

The mission may consist of one flight or multiple flights. The entire mission must be accomplished within the 96 hours noted earlier, and the total mileage of the flight may not exceed the treaty-specified limit. Distances to be flown vary with the size of the observed State Party and range up to 4900km over the United States and 6500km over Russia.

Personnel of the observing State Party operate the on-board sensors when the mission is flown over another country. On a "taxi" aircraft, sensors may be operated either by personnel of the observed State Party with flight representatives of the observing State Party closely overseeing all activity, or the observing team's personnel may choose to operate the sensors themselves.

Post-Flight Procedures:

An observation team is permitted 24 hours from the end of the mission until it must depart the observed state. In this short time, both teams compile a mission report. The observing State Party has the right to choose whether it or the observed State Party processes the film. If processing occurs in the observed state, two observers remain behind to monitor the developing. If the film is returned to the observing State Party for processing, two people representing the observed State Party travel with the observation team back to the observing State Party's film laboratory. If the observed State Party processes the film, it must be developed within three days. If the observing State Party brings the film back home to process, then it has 10 days to complete the process.

The observing State Party keeps the original copy of the film negative and, if available, provides a second copy to the observed State Party. In the absence of a second copy, the observed State party receives a first-generation duplicate. The observing State Party also provides the mission report within several days to all other States Parties. Any Treaty Party may also purchase copies of the data from the observing State Party.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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