Ben Cohen: from ice cream man to Pentagon budget warrior

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/11/29/ben-cohen-from-ice-cream-man-pentagon-budget-warrior/zdRNsCCMcjRIB4cIiiuLMI/story.html



Ben Cohen (right), cofounder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company, has opposed the F-35 jet, which may be based in Vermont near Burlington.

Ben Cohen: from ice cream man to Pentagon budget warrior
By Bryan Bender
November 29, 2013

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Cohen, an entrepreneur who helped build a global brand with flavors such as Cherry Garcia before selling his company to Dutch conglomerate Unilever for $326 million, has embarked on a unique undertaking in the world of philanthropic entrepreneurs: combatting what he considers bloated, wasteful Pentagon weapons programs.

Among his targets is the F-35 joint strike fighter — a maligned, $857 billion project — and the tentative decision by the military to base a squadron of the advanced jets at a Vermont Air National Guard base near Burlington.

Cohen recently made a contribution to the Washington-based Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog group, to investigate details of the F-35 procurement process, according to people with knowledge of the donation. Cohen estimates he has contributed $1 million to various contract-monitoring efforts since selling his company in 2000 and plans to keep spending.

He also recently financed a University of Massachusetts study comparing the economic impact of defense spending with public investments in education and other social programs. Cohen said his goal is raising questions about Pentagon assertions that big-ticket weapon systems are the key to making the nation safer.