By: Jasper Craven, November 27, 2018 Five years ago, on Oct. 28, 2013, Lt. Col. Christopher Caputo appeared before a special session of the Burlington City Council to oppose two resolutions that could have prevented or delayed assignment of the F-35 fighter jet to the Vermont Air Guard base. Dressed in his Air Force blues […]
4. Military-Industrial-Political Corruption
The flying fraternity: Guard commander’s wings clipped after secret rendezvous
By Jasper Craven Nov. 26, 2018 On Jan. 4, 2014, a blue flag adorned with the image of an eagle was passed from the outgoing commander of the 158th Fighter Wing, Col. David Baczewski, to the new leader of the Vermont Air National Guard, Col. Thomas Jackman. Hundreds of airmen looked on as Jackman, a […]
The flying fraternity: A ‘Top Gun’ culture pervades the Vermont National Guard
By Jasper Craven, Mark Johnson and Anne Galloway Nov. 25, 2018 The storied history of the Vermont National Guard reaches back almost 250 years to the days of the Revolutionary War. Back then, the militia was known as the Green Mountain Boys. Today, the members of the Vermont National Guard still proudly call themselves by that same name. Their […]
Scott quietly sought to push back against F-35 foes
By: Jasper Craven for VTDigger, August 13, 2018 When Gov. Phil Scott traveled to Washington on April 9 for a meeting at the Pentagon with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, the trip was not included on his public schedule, nor were there any indications his office had taken steps to publicize it. However, the following […]
7/27/18 Letter from Leahy’s Office to SOS VT
A letter dated July 27, 2018 and addressed to Lt Col. Roger Bourassa (Ret.)
Eather: The Quietest Place in America is Becoming a Warzone
By: Brian Khan 7/30/18 N 47.51575°, W 123.52133°—Amid the panoply of greenery that makes up the Hoh Rainforest, a gap in the old growth forest arises. Well, more accurately it’s a gap in a tree—a hollow inside a towering sitka spruce that stands like an open door. Beyond it, a short game trail through ankle […]
A-10 vs. F-35 close-air support ‘fly off’ shrouded in secrecy
By: Victoria Leoni and Kyle Rempfer for Air Force Times The much-anticipated A-10 vs. F-35 close-air support fly-off has wrapped up before many people even realized the tests were happening, but a government watchdog group claims the tests were rigged in favor the Lightning II, a fifth-generation multirole fighter. The Project On Government Oversight revealed […]
U.S. Air Force Is Hiding Its Controversial Flyoff Between the A-10 and F-35
By Joseph Trevithick July 10, 2018 The U.S. Air Force has, without any apparent public announcement, begun a much-awaited comparative evaluation of the close air support capabilities of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter versus the venerable A-10 Warthog. The event was already controversial before it even began and there is now evidence to suggest the […]
Response from Secretary of the Air Force
June 26, 2018 By John W. Henderson, P.E. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment, and Energy) Dear Mr. Dorn: Thank you for your April 17, 2018 letter addressing the Air Force decision to base the F-35 at Burlington Air National Guard Base and sharing the South Burlington City Council resolution. The Secretary of […]
US Air Force orders freeze on public outreach
By Valerie Insinna , David B. Larter , and Aaron Mehta March 12, 2018 The U.S. Air Force is slashing access to media embeds, base visits and interviews as it seeks to put the entire public affairs apparatus through retraining — a move it says is necessary for operational security, but one which could lead […]