Residents of Burlington, Vt., on March 7 will vote on whether the Burlington City Council should use “lawful means to keep the Vermont Air National Guard at home.” The point of ballot question No. 6 is to “to prevent” the ANG’s 158th Fighter Wing, housed at the Burlington Airport, from being sent overseas “to drop bombs in wars of aggression against other nations.” Local and federal elected officials have gone on record against the question. A statement from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) and Sen. Jim Jeffords (I) notes their opposition to the war in Iraq, but says they support the Vermont ANG. Passage of the ballot question, the statement reads, would be “harmful to both the airport and the Vermont Guard.”
Earlier this spring, the 388th Fighter Wing proved just 12 Airmen can operate an F-35 contingency location, refueling and rearming the fighters at spots across Georgia and South Carolina. The demonstration, part of exercise Agile Flag 23-1, marks yet another proof of concept for the Air Force’s plan to send…