Burlington City Council unanimously opposes nuclear mission for Vermont Guard's F-35s
BURLINGTON — The Burlington City Council approved a resolution Monday opposing the basing of nuclear weapons delivery systems at the Burlington International Airport, in advance of the arrival of the F-35 fighter jets this fall. Some fear the F-35s will be upgraded to have a nuclear mission.
The council unanimously approved a motion expressing its “strong opposition” to the basing of any nuclear weapons delivery systems at the airport, following the Vermont Senate’s approval of a similar motion in May.
The Air Force says the F-35s that will be based at the Vermont Air National Guard this fall do not have a nuclear mission and are not yet capable of transporting nuclear weapons. But the Department of Defense’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review states that the F-35s are part of the country’s nuclear deterrence strategy.
“The United States is incorporating nuclear capability onto the forward-deployable, nuclear capable F-35 as a replacement for the current aging DCA (dual capable aircraft),” the report says.
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