The F-35s Come to Madison
Marsha Rummel | Posted October 30, 2025, Solidarity READ ONLINE
In this article, former Madison Common Council member Marsha Rummel details the history of the F-35 fighter jets’ beddown in Madison, Wisconsin, the local opposition, and the impact of the F-35s on the community and globally.
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IN 2020 TRUAX Field, located within Dane County, Wisconsin Regional Airport, was chosen as one of two sites for the Air National Guard Bureau’s “beddown” of approximately 20 F-35 fighter jets.
This decision was taken in spite of the U.S. Air Force’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that selecting Truax to host the F-35 stealth fighter jet program would have significant adverse impacts — due to intense bursts of noise from daily takeoff and landings and toxic debris.
The F-35 is a stealth fighter plane capable of performing air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strikes, and electronic warfare missions. Its design allows it to penetrate enemy airspace undetected, combining communication technology with a high level of maneuverability.
The U.S. fleet, replacing the F-16s, will grow to approximately 2500 although other countries that operate or have ordered it include Japan, South Korea, Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom, Italy and several other NATO countries. It has been used in combat by the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Iran and by Israel in Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran.