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A new citizens group is raising alarms about the nuclear capacity of the F-35 fighter jet.

Representatives from Citizens Against Nuclear Bombers in Vermont want officials to reverse the decision to base F-35s at the Burlington Air Guard base, saying the fleet’s nuclear capacity poses safety risks for Vermonters.

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The group’s leaders include Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen, 2018 gubernatorial primary candidate James Ehlers and retired Air Force Col. Rosanne Greco, all of whom were involved in previous campaigns to reverse the project based on public health concerns and the potential use of nuclear weapons.

They say a 2018 Department of Defense document proves that the U.S. military intends to use F-35s to deploy nuclear bombs if the need arises, making Burlington a potential target for the country’s enemies.

According to the NPR, the military plans to use the F-35 in conjunction with the nuclear B61-12 gravity bomb. The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which guides federal strategy for the use of nuclear weapons, says the F-35 fighter aircraft will maintain the nation’s ability to “deploy nuclear weapons, should the security situation demand it.”

The location of nuclear weapons is classified, and they are unlikely to be housed in Vermont. A nuclear arms expert told VTDigger last year that the Burlington air base is not equipped to store nuclear weapons.

The F-35 could be deployed to pick up nuclear weapons from another location before carrying out a mission.

At a press conference Tuesday, Greco, who worked on nuclear policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the F-35 basing at the Burlington airport makes that location a target either way.

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“Bombs on the ground are as lethal as bullets in your hand. If you don’t have a gun to deliver them, they’re useless,” she said. “We — and the enemies — target the platforms. We don’t target the bombs.”

Gov. Phil Scott and all three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation have supported the basing, saying it will benefit national security and Vermont’s economy. But in a joint statement Tuesday, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch said they would oppose deploying nuclear weapons using fighter jets based in Burlington.

“We are unaware of any intention or proposal to equip the Vermont Air Guard’s current or future aircraft with nuclear weapons. Should such a proposal be made, we would vigorously oppose it,” their statement said. They would also oppose any funding to upgrade the Burlington base for nuclear weapons storage.

Sanders has co-sponsored the SANE Act, a U.S. Senate bill that would prohibit the Department of Defense from making the F-35 capable of deploying nuclear weapons.

Cohen, who is a co-chair of Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, said that expanding the country’s costly and destructive nuclear arsenal is “crazy.”

“It’s like some perverse nuclear bomb machine gone berserk, stuck on repeat,” Cohen said.

State Rep. Brian Cina, P-Burlington, is drafting a resolution that would oppose the basing because of the nuclear risks. Citizens Against Nuclear Bombers plans to press lawmakers to sign on to the resolution in the hopes that Scott, Leahy, Sanders or Welch will reverse their position on the basing.

Eighteen F-35A jets are scheduled to arrive at the Burlington base in September.

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