Dear Connecticut Forum Leadership:

We are concerned Connecticut residents and supporters of the Connecticut Forum’s mission to foster open, thoughtful dialogue on the most pressing issues of our time.

I urge you to terminate your sponsorship by RTX, the parent company of Raytheon Missile and Defense, Pratt & Whitney, and Collins Aerospace. As the world’s second largest weapons manufacturer, RTX plays a significant role in perpetuating conflicts around the globe through the supply of arms, including in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

There is extensive documentation of the use RTX-manufactured weapons in attacks that have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, including children [1]. These actions have constituted serious violations of international law and human rights according to a multitude of human rights organizations [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

The most direct example of RTX’s responsibility in the devastation in Gaza is the use of the F-135 engine used to power the F35 Lightning II [8]. The Israeli military has used the F35 to drop bombs on refugee camps, schools, and hospitals populated by civilians [9]. In sum, the F35 is a crucial weapon without which Israel likely could not commit this genocide.

Corporate social responsibility programs, including philanthropy, enable bad actors to direct the public’s attention away from the grave harm they enact on our global community. In this manner, RTX obfuscates its adverse human rights impact through its charitable giving to organizations like the Connecticut Forum. RTX’s continued sponsorship of the Connecticut Forum jeopardizes the Forum’s commitment to ethical discourse and social responsibility.

We believe the Connecticut Forum has a unique opportunity to lead by example by choosing sponsors whose values align with peace, justice, and human dignity. Dropping RTX as a sponsor would send a powerful message: Our community does not tolerate profiteering from war, genocide, and occupation.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your continued leadership in Connecticut’s cultural and intellectual dialogue.

Endnotes:

1. https://investigate.afsc.org/company/rtx
2. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/
3. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza
4. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/un-special-committee-finds-israels-warfare-methods-gaza-consistent-genocidevhttps://
5. www.icj.org/palestine-israel-israel-must-immediately-stop-its-criminal-forcible-displacement-in-gaza/
6. https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges
7. https://www.btselem.org/video/20250505_devastation_bombing_and_starvation_israel_is_destroying_life_in_gaza
8. https://www.prattwhitney.com/en/products/military-engines/f135
9. https://www.amnesty.org.au/over-230-global-organisations-demand-governments-producing-f-35-jets-stop-arming-israel/