Open Skies

During a speech earlier this month at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller touched on the success of the Open Skies Treaty, which allows certain countries the ability to conduct short-notice intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights over foreign territories and collect data on military activities:

This year, we are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty and the tenth anniversary of the Treaty's entry into force. The Treaty itself remains a solid regime. The observation flights -- more than 800 to date -- serve to enhance military transparency. They also provide an opportunity for our governments -- in most cases, military personnel -- to regularly and effectively work together.

The biggest single challenge we face for the continued success of the Treaty is the future availability of resources. The Treaty will only be as good as the States Parties make it, and we cannot make it as effective with old aircraft and sensors. For its part, the United States has recently completed an internal review of future implementation plans. The key development involves a U.S. commitment to transition from the film-based cameras we use today to digital sensors. We urge all parties to also redouble their efforts to modernize the Treaty to allow for the use of these sensors and ensure sufficient assets for future operations.

The United States has proposed a number of ways to improve Treaty implementation, while bearing in mind the budgetary constraints that are a reality in the U.S. and across Europe. One thing we believe has been underutilized is the possibility of sharing Open Skies assets among States Parties. This is the type of creative thinking we need to do to continue to advance European security in the current fiscal environment.

Inside the Air Force reported in June that Lockheed Martin has been looking to grow the number of roll-on capabilities its international customers carry as militaries around the world re-examine their purchasing power and size of their force structure:

Jim Grant, vice president of air mobility business development, told Inside the Air Force during a June 19 interview that countries looking to cut back on their defense spending might be able to save money by investing in roll-on capabilities for their C-130 cargo aircraft.

A roll-on capability is a self-contained capability that is transferable from C-130 to C-130. The capability makes it possible for a cargo aircraft to perform a mission other than refueling or lifting heavy cargo. The more roll-on capabilities a C-130 has, the more missions it is capable of, Grant said. . . .

International customers who own and fly C-130s and are looking to cut back on defense spending could do something similar if they are privy to the Open Skies Treaty, which allows certain countries the ability to conduct short-notice ISR flights over foreign territories and collect data on military activities, Grant said.