Breaking News: Russian Spy Planes in U.S. Skies
 

not really breaking :1orglaugh

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. military and American intelligence agencies have quietly pushed the White House in recent weeks to deny a new Russian surveillance plane the right to fly over U.S. territory. This week, the White House finally began consideration of the decision whether to certify the new Russian aircraft under the so-called ?Open Skies Treaty.? And now the question becomes: Will the spies and generals get their way?
Related Stories

Putin, Obama maneuver over crisis in Ukraine. Whose advantage? Christian Science Monitor
Emergency Meeting Between U.S. and Russia Over Ukraine Ends With Little Progress The Atlantic Wire
Kerry to meet with top diplomats on Ukraine Associated Press
Kerry set to see Russian FM on Ukraine Associated Press
White House to send Biden to Kiev as conflict with Russia escalates Reuters

As the United States and Russia face off publicly over Ukraine, behind the scenes, Obama?s national security cabinet is having its own quiet feud over a long-standing agreement to allow Russian surveillance flights over U.S. air space.

The spies and the generals want to deny the Russians the overflight rights for its latest surveillance planes. The State Department, which ultimately makes that decision, has favored such certification. On Wednesday an interagency meeting of senior officials failed to reach consensus, delaying the decision until Obama takes it up with the National Security Council, according to U.S. officials involved in the dispute.

At issue is the Open Skies Treaty. First signed in 1992 and finally ratified in 2002, the treaty adopted by 34 nations allows the safe passage of planes equipped with advanced cameras and sensors that give governments the imagery and data they use to assess everything from compliance with arms control treaties to troop movements.

On April 15, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Howard ?Buck? McKeon, and the Republican chairman of that panel?s subcommittee that oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal, Rep. Mike Rogers, urged President Obama to deny Russia the right to fly its new planes over U.S. airspace.

In their letter, the two lawmakers write, ?We agree with the concerns expressed by the Intelligence Community and the military leadership of the Department of Defense? in their opposition to certifying the new Russian planes under the treaty.

full article...

I thought I was reading a script for Dr. Strangelove, The Next Generation. It's always the military generals who are all freaky about their secrets. The Russians have been overflying the US under START and SALT for years. When the US decomissions a bomber or an ICBM, they chop it up in pieces and then have to leave it out in the open to allow the Russians the time to pass a satellite over to take pictures of the chopped bomber or missile. Whatever the Russians want to do here, we are probably already doing over THERE. Quid pro quo. Tit for tat. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Avoid cliches like the plague.

They will hide the reality to Russian Federation.

http://thisainthell.us/blog/wp-conte...pride-flag.jpg

I agree. At this point it's whatever. Fuck, I can see anyone's house on Google maps so what's the big deal? It's not like it's the 1960s and we are still flying around in U2 planes...

you have satellites for that so nothing new

different angle dude and better quality

at issue:

The Russians use the aircraft today to monitor U.S. nuclear weapons as part of arms control agreements between both countries. The Russian planes, according to U.S. officials involved in the dispute, contain a new sensor package that would allow Moscow to surveil American nuclear assets with a level of precision and detail that makes U.S. military and intelligence leaders deeply uncomfortable.


I'm really not getting the issue. If there's nuclear shit they don't want revealed via the new tech, that's too much nuclear shit the USA public is not aware of either. I know the cold war never really ended combined with the fact the USA has always operated 24/7/365 with a nuclear plan in case of war/whatever. Nevertheless, this nuke shit, mutually assured destruction, is ridiculous. ANd this suggests we aren't even following nuke disarmement