Democratic lawmakers and national security experts have excoriated the White House's abandonment of the Open Skies Treaty.<br />The State Department announced it would submit its notice of withdrawal, which starts a 6-month countdown.<br />According to Business Insider, the 34-country treaty includes Russia, Ukraine, Canada, the Netherlands, and Norway.<br />These countries can conduct short-notice observational flights over other signatories to verify the status of each other's military forces.<br />However, there has been tension between the US and Russia over claims from both countries that the other is violating the treaty.<br />This decision weakens our national security interests, isolates the United States since the Treaty will continue without us, and abandons a useful tool to hold Russia accountable. Adam Smith (D-Wa.) and Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tn.) House Armed Services Committee joint statement.
