What happens if Truax Field doesn’t get the F-35?
Wisconsin State Journal MITCHELL SCHMIDT Sep 13, 2019
The Air National Guard base at Truax Field and surrounding Dane County community have much to gain with the addition of a squadron of 20 F-35 jets, though as opponents have made clear in recent public hearings, those benefits come with a cost…
What’s less clear is what, if anything, Truax and the surrounding community stands to lose if the base at Dane County Regional Airport misses out on the F-35 jets…
Proponents of the F-35 jets have cautioned that, if the new jets are not secured, the base could be at risk of losing out on the 115th Fighter Wing’s mission when the base’s existing F-16 jets pass their designed useful lifespan…
However, Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Air Force, said it’s speculative to assume Truax’s mission would be in jeopardy without the F-35s.
“That’s a leap, that’s making two and three assumptions together,” Stefanek said.