Governor Evers: It’s Time for a New Air National Guard Mission for Truax Field
This appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal, March 26, 2023
In your 2023 State of the State Address, you said: “When we do what’s best for our kids, we do what’s best for our state.” It is time for you to show the residents of Madison that these were not just empty words.
The Air Force may soon bring a squadron of F-35A fighter jets to Madison. This will cause a dramatic increase in noise and safety problems for residents and their children. However, we have a solution that’s a win-win for all concerned: the airport, the Air National Guard (ANG), local public officials and our community. It’s a cheap fix that aligns with our Madison values. The solution is a new mission for the ANG base at Truax Field. Everyone will win. Now is the time to take action.
Since 1948, our local airbase has hosted numerous military aircraft including Mustangs, Scorpions, Sabres, F-89s, F-102 Delta Daggers, Dragonflies, and finally, A-10s and F-16s. Except for a brief interval in the 1970s, the mission of
the base has always been the training of fighter jet pilots.