The Trump administration formally shut the door on the Open Skies treaty Sunday, exiting the agreement while moving to get rid of the U.S. Air Force planes that have been used to carry out the nearly three-decade-old accord.
President Trump had served notice in May that the U.S. would withdraw in six months from the accord, which was intended to reduce the risk of war by allowing Russia and the West to carry out unarmed reconnaissance flights over each other’s territories. U.S. officials, however, have long complained that Moscow hasn’t fully complied with its terms.
In a move that could complicate President-elect Joe Biden’s options if he sought to re-enter the agreement, the Trump administration is taking steps to dispose of the two specially equipped OC-135B planes the U.S. has used to carry out Open Skies flights.
A senior U.S. official said the planes are being designated as “excess defense articles,” which means they can be given to foreign partners at reduced or no cost.
“We’ve started liquidating the equipment,” the official said. “Other countries can come purchase or just take the airframes. They are really old and cost-prohibitive for us to maintain. We don’t have a use for them anymore.”
As part of the disposal, the old wet-film cameras on the aircraft are likely to be given to European allies. New digital cameras that the Pentagon had planned to install on the planes used for Open Skies flights will instead be transferred to other units in the Air Force.
The moves follow a July decision by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper to cancel the program to buy newer planes to replace the OC-135Bs, eliminating the option of replacing the aircraft with more-modern variants as well.