The gathering in October in Bay Minette, Ala., seemed at times like a pep rally as speaker after speaker talked about the tanker contest pitting Boeing against the Northrop Grumman/EADS team. The message was clear: Northrop/EADS – and by virtue of that, Mobile, Ala. – would again win the contest.

The jury, of course, is still out on the $40 billion Air Force tanker contest. In fact, Northrop in early December threatened to pull out of the competition altogether on grounds the requirements are tilted in Boeing’s favor. But no matter how the tanker fight ends, the gathering marked an escalation in the region’s bid to become an aerospace powerhouse.
Call it the mobilization of the Gulf Coast.

The October event was to announce the formation of the Aerospace Alliance, a public/private organization designed to promote a four-state region’s aerospace capabilities. The 501(c)(6) group says it will advocate for policies, programs and specific projects on the local, state and national level to enhance growth of the aerospace sector.

With formation of the Aerospace Alliance, there are now at least five regional initiatives focusing on aerospace in the region. The efforts vary in scope, agenda and method, but share the common theme of telling the Gulf Coast aerospace story.

And that’s good, says George Freeland, executive director of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation. He’s been involved for years in cooperative projects focusing on the aerospace region, and sees the state-level effort as a natural progression.

“Multi-state regionalism has expanded and increased in scope, particularly in the aerospace sector,” said Freeland. “It is extraordinarily important. It demonstrates a continued evolution of the region. It wasn’t all that long ago that South Mississippi wasn’t even connecting its own dots.”

Mississippi efforts
Six counties from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development have been “connecting the dots” through a regional aerospace program for nearly four years now.

In May 2006 the group launched a Web site, Mississippi Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, which highlights aerospace activities in South Mississippi and the broader Gulf Coast. In the summer of 2010 it will publish the fifth edition of an annual 50-page reference book. They also have sites and books on shipbuilding, advanced materials, marine science and geospatial technologies - and a quarterly sci-tech newsletter.

That they found common ground is remarkable, considering the five sectors do not impact them equally. Though each member of a regional group naturally places a priority on jobs in its own back yard, this group concluded they all benefits in the larger scheme of things.

“Our Gulf Coast Alliance has matured. It’s evolved to a point that it’s intelligent, thoughtful, and pursues meaningful regional cooperation. We have taken it upon ourselves to document and create an inventory and promote the region in a meaningful way. We will continue to do that,” said Freeland.

Since the group’s aerospace Web site was launched, other initiatives have launched. In Mobile there’s the Mobile County Commission’s “Keep Our Tanker” project, notable for mustering regional support for Northrop’s tanker bid. In Northwest Florida there’s the three-county Gulf Coast Aerospace and Defense Coalition, designed to promote Northwest Florida as a location for aerospace companies.

There’s also the Stennis-Michoud Aerospace Corridor Alliance, formed by the office of Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, which is exploring ways to promote Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. There’s also privately run Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Web site, which highlights aerospace news and data from New Orleans to Northwest Florida.

Freeland doesn’t see the other initiatives as competition, but rather as an indication of the growing understanding that aerospace is important for the region’s future. Creation of the Aerospace Alliance is just another step up the regional ladder from the more local levels.

Getting the word out
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley sees the Aerospace Alliance as a way to tell the South’s aerospace story. In his remarks during the Bay Minette event, Riley alluded to the sometimes negative comments made about the region by Boeing supporters.

“Last year taught us something: While we all know about our long tradition of aerospace excellence and the quality and skill sets of our work force, obviously some parts of the country might not be aware. We are going to educate them,” he said.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour reiterated the publicity aspect, saying the group “will go far in promoting our region for what it is – one of the largest aerospace corridors in the world and a great place for companies in this sector to do business.”

According to its Web site, the Aerospace Alliance’s mission is “to establish the Southeast region as a world-class aerospace and aviation corridor.” It says members share the goal “of promoting the region’s common assets and long-standing tradition of excellence in the aerospace industry to take advantage of opportunities to grow the sector in the region.”

There’s little doubt the South and Gulf Coast are on the radar of the aerospace industry, and have been for quite some time. If there’s any group that isn’t aware, it may be politicians and the general public.

It’s a good bet the formation of the Aerospace Alliance was noted by the Pacific Northwest. Not only has Washington been in a dogfight with Alabama for the tanker project, but it has a broader concern about the South in general. Boeing’s decision to set up a second assembly line for the 787 in South Carolina has caused concern, and this just adds to the grief.

The Aerospace Alliance seems to be a work in progress. At this writing, members are the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Florida isn’t a member, but an economic group of 16 counties in the Panhandle, Florida’s Great Northwest, is.

Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office and the chief contact for the Aerospace Alliance, said he hopes that at some point all of Florida will be involved. As he sees it, the group is an umbrella organization interested in aerospace activities in any of the four states. But for now, the focus is on winning the tanker.

“The thing that’s on the front burner is the tanker,” said Wade, adding that the group wants to ensure the tanker competition is fair. “We also recognize that, were we to win, it’s an important cornerstone.”

The project would bring thousands of direct/indirect jobs to the region, and lead to the assembly of Airbus freighters. With the tanker program, the Gulf Coast would be one of the few locations in the world that build large-body aircraft.

But win or lose, Wade said the group will have a life beyond that.

- David Tortorano

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The Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi will soon launch the largest casino expansion on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina. The 110,000-square-foot project will include a 64,000-square-foot expansion of its facilities and amenities, as well as the renovation of existing areas.

Keith Crosby, general manager of the Palace Casino Resort, said, “Prior to the storm, we were a four-diamond resort. We are bringing back many of the amenities we lost to again provide our guests the complete package. We will also maintain many of our current amenities that have become popular, like our signature golf course, The Preserve; our first-class marina; and our award-winning fine dining restaurant, Mignon’s.”

Upon completion of the new construction, the property will include 38,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 1,000 slot machines and 26 new table games. Also included will be an eight-table poker room and high limit salon. A strong focus is being placed on the improvement of air quality throughout the casino. Non-smoking areas, including the poker room, will be available to guests.

The new 300-seat buffet will feature live cooking stations and a display bakery, where guests can purchase a variety of freshly baked goods. A café and grill will offer 24-hour service with seating for 50 guests. And, a new upscale lounge/sports bar will include a stage for live entertainment. Mignon’s Steaks and Seafood will remain; and its lounge, which was popular before the storm, will return.

Crosby said that upgrades to the hotel will focus on providing guests an intimate, service-based experience. A new front desk, concierge area and VIP check-in will be added. The lobby and atrium areas will also be remodeled. Other added amenities will include a new gift shop, spa and fitness center, business center and meeting facilities.

Cuningham Group, an award-winning international design firm with multiple offices including Biloxi, Las Vegas and Minneapolis, is leading the architecture and interior design work of the expansion. The firm, which designed many of the gaming, nightclub and restaurant environments within the pre-Katrina casino, has over 40 years of experience and has consistently been recognized as a leader in the resort gaming market.

Robert Low, owner of the casino with his wife, Lawana, said, “We are very excited to have this opportunity to further invest in the city of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.” He continued, “The key to our success over the past 12 years has never been based on the bricks and mortar, but rather the hard work of our dedicated associates and the high quality of personal service they provide to our guests.”

The estimated date of completion for the expansion is late summer 2011. At that time, additional associates will be added to the current staff of 625.

Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway said, “This project, especially in the current economic climate, shows the confidence and vitality of the Biloxi market. The Palace has been an important part of our community for over 12 years, and this new investment should generate new jobs and revenue for many more years to come.”

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On both ends of Harrison County, Mississippi, retail is sparking new growth and prosperity. D’Iberville, on the eastern side of the county, has welcomed The Promenade shopping complex with local, regional and national retailers. To the far west of the county, the city of Pass Christian recently opened a new 153,000-square-foot Walmart.

The Promenade, situated on 72 acres at the I-10/I-110 interchange, is a 700,000-square-foot development of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. The shopping center opened in October with major anchors including Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Marshalls. The Promenade also offers more than 80,000 square feet of specialty shops, and restaurants including major chains Olive Garden and Red Lobster, intermixed with local and regional eateries.

In the months since The Promenade opened, sales tax revenues in D’Iberville have increased significantly. In February, the city collected $591,315, up from $407,924 in February 2009. In January, the increase was more than $100,000 from the previous year.

The new shopping center is expected to generate annual sales in excess of $185 million and create more than 1,000 new jobs for the area. With the surrounding market population of more than 320,000, 120,000 cars passing the shopping center each day, and more retailers to come including Kohl’s Department Store and Michael’s Arts & Crafts, The Promenade will bring continued growth to the city of D’Iberville.

Across the county, the city of Pass Christian has also embraced the arrival of its new retail facility – a beachfront Walmart Supercenter. The new store, which also opened in October, replaces the Walmart that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and has been redesigned based on the company’s efforts to refresh its stores and improve the customer experience.

The new store employs approximately 300 people, including more than 30 associates who were working at the store prior to Hurricane Katrina and returned to work at the new store.

In addition to the added jobs and a surge in sales tax revenues for the city of Pass Christian, Walmart is bringing ongoing charitable contributions to the community. The Walmart Foundation has presented grants and support to local organizations like the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Boys and Girls Club of the Gulf Coast, the Pass Christian and Long Beach fire and police departments, and area schools.

With the new retail facilities in both of these cities, as well as all that lies between – Long Beach with a $6 million renovation of its downtown retail district, Gulfport with Prime Outlets, Crossroads Shopping Center, a new Best Buy and new Sam’s Club, and Biloxi with Edgewater Mall and Edgewater Village Shopping Center, Harrison County has a lot to offer shoppers, as well retailers and restaurateurs looking to share in the success.

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With grand columns gracing its entrance, an impressive amphitheatre and an artificial turf courtyard, the Pass Christian Center for Excellence resembles a miniature college campus more than the home of an elementary and middle school. But the $32 million complex in Pass Christian, Mississippi is an educational haven for children from six weeks old through eighth grade, and the grandeur of the facility reflects the strength and hard work of the teachers, students and community.

The Pass Christian Center for Excellence houses Pass Christian Middle School, Pass Christian Elementary School, the Boys and Girls Club and a daycare center. Completed for the 2009/2010 school year, the innovative facility was conceptualized following Hurricane Katrina, when school leaders sought out to design a school for the future.

They attended an architectural seminar in Washington, D.C. on Great Schools by Design. A national initiative of the American Architectural Foundation, Great Schools by Design seeks to improve the quality of America’s schools and the communities they serve by promoting collaboration, excellence and innovation in school design. Following the seminar, in June 2006, school and community representatives traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with a team of experts to discuss specific school projects.

Dr. Sue Matheson, superintendent for Pass Christian Schools, enthusiastically says, “Our new campus, the Pass Christian Center for Excellence, is a unique concept that was developed in conjunction with the National School Design Institute in Washington, D.C. We may be the only campus in the U.S. that houses an elementary school, a middle school, a birth through four-year-old daycare center and a boys and girls club on the same property. We are extremely proud of this magnificent facility and look forward to educating our children inside the buildings, in the turf covered courtyard and under the beautiful old oak trees that survived in spite of Hurricanes Camille and Katrina.”

Settled in their new facility, the teachers and students of Pass Christian continue to excel. Pass Christian School District has earned the distinction of being in the top one percent of the 152 school districts in the state’s standardized testing program. In addition, the school district has earned the Department of Education’s highest honor, a star rating, under its new accountability rating system. “The bar has been raised tremendously,” Matheson said.

Dr. Matheson is excited for Pass Christian to continue its journey of excellence. She said, “I believe that this campus symbolizes the strength and resiliency of not only the Pass Christian School District, but the town and community as well. We are proud to be a part of the rebuilding process in our great town. We hope that this new campus will encourage past and future residents to move into our school district and become a part of our great tradition.”

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   When it comes to a list of the most important pillars of the Harrison County economy, it’s hard to top the military. The numbers tell the tale.

   Personnel: more than 17,000;

   Students: 50,400;

   Economic impact: $1.6 billion.

   And those likely are underestimates.

   Harrison County has been a military hotspot for years. It’s home to an Air Force, Navy, National Guard and Coast Guard bases. Every branch of the military, as well as reserves, are represented thanks to joint initiatives. On top of that, Harrison County is affected by military activities in nearby Hancock and Jackson counties. When those numbers are included, the workforce alone increases to at least 20,000, and the impact rises to more than $2 billion.

   The military in Harrison County and the broader South Mississippi region is the proverbial 800-pound gorilla. Keesler Air Force Base alone calculates it’s “extended population,” which includes military and civilian employees, family members, retirees and their family members, at more than 93,000. That’s larger than the combined populations of Hancock and Pearl River counties, and doesn’t include the extended population of the other bases, either in Harrison County or South Mississippi.

   But adding the numbers for all the military operations is tricky at best. Not every military activity compiles numbers the same way, and some – like economic impact – are simply not regularly gathered. Then there’s the question of full-time versus part-time, civilian employees versus contract employees, and “direct” versus “indirect” impact, just to name a few hurdles.

   But Keesler, the largest base in Harrison County, does provide numbers that are instructive and much can be surmised from the numbers. In the most recent economic impact statement from fiscal year 2008, the base said it had 10,848 military/student and civilian personnel with a payroll of $351.5 million. By comparison, over the last four quarters South Mississippi’s 11 casinos had between 10,341 and 11,398 employees and a payroll of $386.5 million.

   Add contracts and the total for Keesler goes to $458.8 million, and include “secondary jobs created” and it climbs to $589 million.

   The indirect impact is much higher and includes jobs and services that exist in part because of the base. Keesler places the civilian jobs created off-base at 3,701 for a total of 14,549 jobs, direct and indirect. Add the 13,191 military retirees within a 50-mile radius and its $210.5 million payroll and the impact of Keesler rises to $1.2 billion.

   But all of that is just Keesler. There are three other bases in Harrison County, and four others in nearby counties. John C. Stennis Space Center’s fiscal year 2008 statement shows the Navy, the largest tenant at Stennis, had a $195 million impact in a 50-mile radius. The payroll for just the 790 workers at the Naval Oceanographic Office is $84 million, according to officials.

   In short, while nailing down the precise numbers is difficult, the numbers are clearly substantial. And based on information provided for this report, the chances seem pretty good that the figures will go up. Many of the facilities and operations anticipate growth.

   While the numbers of workers, payroll, operating budgets and impact are all well and good, they show only a slice of what the military means to Harrison County. There’s a significance in the military presence that goes well beyond the dollars.

   The military is interwoven in the fabric of Harrison County society. Flag down a resident and the changes are almost 1 in 5 that he or she will be a veteran. That’s close to twice the national average for counties. Many of those veterans are Harrison County natives, but others are transplants who served at one of the bases and opted to settle here. Many are movers and shakers in their local communities.

   During the course of compiling this series, two things became clear during the interviews. The men and women in uniform who serve in Harrison County and the broader South Mississippi region are proud of what they do, and they feel welcome. As one high-ranking Navy officer put it, he likes being in a uniform when he’s out in the local community.

   That’s an impact hard to measure.

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· One of the largest Air Force technical training centers

· Air Force training center for electronics, including cyber

· Between 20,000 and 30,000 students trained annually

   In a competitive, global economy where so many places tout their high-tech capabilities, few can say they host a technology school that draws students from across the nation.

   But Biloxi can.

   Keesler Air Force Base’s 81st Training Wing trains tens of thousands of students every year in basic and advanced courses in electronics, including the hot field of cyberspace. And in an age where the military increasing relies on computers, networks, unmanned systems and other electronic systems, Keesler is a center for technologies of the future.

   “It is both a university from the perspective that you have graduate level and undergraduate, and also a community college – teaching a trade and developing journeymen who will become craftsmen,” said Brig. Gen. Ian Dickinson, commander of the 81st.

The base

   Keesler is one of the largest technical training centers in the Air Force, but it’s also home to one of the largest medical facility in the Air Force, as well as the 403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve, best-known for the Hurricane Hunters.

   Keesler, established in 1941, is west of downtown Biloxi, bordered on the north by Back Bay and on the remaining sides by residential and commercial areas. Mississippi Sound is a half-mile south, and beyond that the Gulf of Mexico.

   Part of the Texas-based Air Education and Training Command, Keesler is headquarters of the 2nd Air Force and the 81st Training Wing. In addition to training airmen, Keesler trains sailors, Marines and foreign students.

   The number of people associated with the base, military and civilian personnel and dependents, is between 15,000 and 16,000. Some live on base, some off. Dickinson places the “workforce” at between 6,000 to 7,000.

   Keesler has an annual operating budget of about $480 million, but between 2006 and 2009 close to $1 billion in additional money has come in for hurricane-related construction.

   “I have never been on a base that had this much military construction going on all at the same time,” said Dickinson.

   The rebuilding included replacing facilities, building on higher ground, hardening facilities and speeding up some projects.

Base as educator

   “The absolute No. 1 key mission for my wing is preparing airmen to take on their specialty within the United States Air Force,” said Dickinson.

   Keesler is one of the four primary bases where airmen are educated in a variety of fields. The other three are Lackland Air Force Base, Goodfellow Air Force Base and Sheppard Air Force Base, all in Texas.

   “Usually, our specialties are only taught at one place,” said Dickinson. And for Keesler, that specialty is the wide-ranging field of electronics. “For as long as we’ve been doing electronics in the Air Force we’ve been teaching about electronics at Keesler.”

   But other courses are taught as well, including financial management and hospital administration.

   Since 1942, Keesler has graduated more than 2.2 million students. The training group, a Community College of the Air Force institute, is accredited by the Commission of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
   The 81st Training Group, the largest electronics training group in the world, annually provides training for 20,000 and 30,000 officers, enlisted and civilian employees of the Department of Defense, contractors and allied nations. Last year the number was 27,000, a figure that does not include medical personnel trained by the co-located 81^st Medical Group.

   While a comparison to a civilian school is inexact, numbers from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College put Keesler’s education role in perspective. Some 37,000 people were served at MGCCC last year, including academic, technical, career, workforce, continuing education and other non-credit seminars and workshops. Of those, 1,525 students received associates degrees and/or diplomas in May 2009.

   The students who come to Keesler directly from basic training stay from a couple of weeks to a year. These non-prior service students numbers about 1,800. The rest, about 900, are personnel who have been based elsewhere and come to Keesler for retraining in a second, third or fourth job or advanced training. Nearly all officers fall into that category.

   “Between those two, that’s where we get half that uniform population,” Dickinson said.

Future

     In an age where the military is facing new adversaries and types of warfare, Keesler will play a crucial role in the future.

   “I don’t see us picking up training missions from other bases,” said Dickinson, but he does expect a “broadening” of the Keesler mission that will coincide with the growth of the electronics industry.

   An example of the broadening is the decision to establish the undergraduate cyberspace training program at Keesler. It will provide the leaders and technicians that will give the United States protection against attack, as well as an offensive capability.

   The training includes information to design, secure, access, exploit, attack, and defend seven types of communications networks: telephones, internet protocol, satellites, land mobile radio, industrial central systems, integrated air defense, and tactical data link.

   “We’ve been teaching about the cyber domain for the life of Keesler,” said Dickinson.

  Communications, computer technology, air traffic control, and electronics have been taught for years, and the repackaging and expansion of these courses will become the core of the new undergraduate cyberspace training courses.

   Lt. Gen. Clark Griffith, the retired former commander of both Keesler and the 2^nd Air Force, is excited about the training in the cyberspace domain. He knows the importance of Keesler’s technical training to the Air Force – and to the South Mississippi economy.

   “This new cyberspace schoolhouse brings yet another high-tech industrial capability to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Future expansion of this vital national requirement will certainly happen,” said Griffith.

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· Only genetics research center in Defense Department

· One of the largest medical centers in the Air Force

· One of three Air Force hospitals with clinical investigations

   It’s well known that Keesler Air Force Base is home to one of the largest medical centers in the Air Force and provides care for thousands of Defense Department patients.

   But how many know Keesler’s medical center is home to the DoD’s only medical genetics center? With $2 million worth of special equipment, the Air Force Medical Genetics Center performs 1,100 cytogenetic studies and 18,000 molecular genetics tests every year, and is a center of excellence and reference for DoD.

   Col. David Garrison, deputy commander of the 81st Medical Group that oversees the Keesler medical campus, is unabashedly proud of the distinction.

   “Keesler has always been and will continue to be a hotbed for research and development,” said Garrison. “We’ve always been one of the first ones to raise our hands to try new things here.”

   Indeed, the medical center at Keesler is one of only three Air Force medical facilities with a formal clinical investigations program in a dedicated research facility.

The organization

   The 81st Medical Group at Keesler has 1,600 military and civilian personnel and uses 200 contractors who provide services ranging from maintenance to highly specialized surgeons to augment the staff.

   The medical group campus within Keesler is 88 acres with 900,000 square feet of healthcare facilities spread out over nine buildings, including Keesler Medical Center. It has an annual operating budget of $78 million, but over the last few years the medical group has poured an additional $106 million to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

   The medical group has three missions: healthcare, deployment and training. Its primary mission is to maintain medical readiness for worldwide contingencies by providing healthcare for 11,000 active duty and 47,000 local beneficiaries in a 50-mile catchment area.

Healthcare mission

   On a daily basis, the medical complex has 900 outpatient visits, 22 inpatient, three births, 400 radiology images procedures, 1,500 laboratory procedures, fills 6,000 prescriptions, has 90 emergency room visits, eight surgeries, and eight ambulatory procedures.

   The medical center has seven newly-renovated surgery suites and opened a new Family Birthing Center unit in early 2007.
   The Diagnostic Imaging Department has the only 3-Tesla MRI system in the Air Force, and the Keesler Warfighter Refractive Surgery Center is the Air Force’s flagship for laser eye surgery in the Southeast.

   The 81st Medical Group commander, Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Dan Wyman, also oversees the Gulf Coast Multi-Service Market, which includes five military medical treatment facilities and two Coast Guard medical facilities between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, coordinating care for more than 75,000 eligible beneficiaries.

   The medical center also serves as the Federal Coordinating Center for the National Disaster Medical System, the medical arm of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It manages and maintains memorandums of agreement with 25 civilian medical facilities throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

   Perhaps one of the least known activities of Keesler’s medical group is the work in research, which includes clinical studies.

   “Our one and only DoD genetics center is housed here at Keesler,” said Garrison, who notes the workload is fairly large. “They do roughly 20,000 cases a year. The focus there is DNA sequencing, chromosome analysis and gene testing. We do that for all of DoD here. We are the Lone Ranger for that one.”

Deployment mission

   The 81st Medical Group is responsible for deploying an Expeditionary Medical Support hospital and support staff and is responsible for managing the second largest mobility mission in the Air Force.
   At any given time, several hundred people associated with the medical group are rotating in and out of Keesler, going to battle zones or on medical deployment for training missions to places like Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador.

   Garrison said virtually all military members from the 81st are subject to deployment, depending on the need.

Training mission

   “Here at the medical center we have our own training mission. We have two physician graduate medical education programs,” said Garrison. “The programs are for internal medicine and general surgery and we are working hard to restore physician residencies in  pediatrics and OB/Gyn.”

   Before Katrina the center was graduating about 100 a year. The length of the training varies, with five years for surgery and four for pediatrics. The target is to get back to the pre-Katrina level.

   “For the dentists,  we have three residency programs: the one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry and General Practice Residency programs, which provide advanced training above that which was attained in dental school, and a two-year Endodontic Residency, with the second predominantly clinical year of study spent at Keesler.”

   There are also nine enlisted training programs for pharmacy technicians, radiology and lab workers, nuclear medicine technicians, medical service technicians and more. The classes run up to 39 weeks. The center graduated 288 phase II enlisted personnel last year, and the program is still growing.

   The center also trains nurses new to the Air Force.

Community

   Garrison said he believes the medical team is highly integrated with the surrounding community.

   He said that if you checked with the medical staff at hospitals and clinics along the coast, you would find many who may have done their residency at Keesler Medical Center. Others who are retired military and came back include nurses, surgeons and others with an Air Force medical background.

   One of the reasons that the medical group is so much a part of the community is through the cooperative agreements Keesler has with many of the area’s institutions, including William Carey, the VA Hospital, the University of Mississippi, Gulfport Memorial Hospital, Biloxi Regional and more. Garrison said Keesler has a particularly close relationship with the VA in Biloxi, and together they form a DoD center of excellence.

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· 815th Squadron holds seven records in airlift with C-130

· 53rd the only DoD unit flying weather reconnaissance

· 36 states represented by the citizen-airmen of the 403rd

   It’s the largest flying organization at Keesler Air Force Base, and the only Air Force Reserve command wing in the state of Mississippi. And they keep busy, deploying when needed to perform airlift mission and providing critical weather reconnaissance whenever hurricanes threaten.

   It’s the 403^rd Wing, home of the Flying Jennies and Hurricane Hunters. It’s composed of citizen-airmen from 36 states.

   The wing operates out of 14 facilities totaling 343,636 square feet. The newest is a maintenance complex of 123,000 square feet, and coming in fiscal year 2010 will be a $10 million aerial port facility. It has 305 civilian workers and more than 1,300 reservists.

   Three groups, 10 squadrons and flights are co-located with the 403^rd wing, handling everything from operations to logistics and support to flying. It has an operating budget of $60 million and total economic impact is $95 million.

   It has a fleet of 18 C-130J aircraft, a high-wing, medium-range aircraft used in weather reconnaissance missions and tactical airlift. It is the most technologically advanced C-130 in the world, with climb time cut in half and power increased by 29 percent.

   The 403^rd Wing was the first American unit to acquire the J-model and wrote the book on its operation. The 403^rd Wing ranks third in the world in hours flown in the J-model behind Italy and Great Britain.

History

   The wing’s history dates to World War II, when it was activated as a troop carrier group. Inactivated after the war, it was reactivated in the Air Force Reserve in 1949 and has been called to active duty twice: during the Korean War and in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis. But it has flown under reserve status on a variety of missions, from humanitarian airlift to rescue operations and in support of the space shuttle program.

   The wing has flown airlift support to the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. embassies within Central and South America, and participated in Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Promise, Provide Comfort, Uphold Democracy and Provide Relief.
   The 403rd Wing’s squadrons support tactical airlift missions, including personnel, equipment and supplies and aeromedical-refugee evacuation. The wing also is the only Defense Department unit that organizes, equips, trains and performs hurricane weather reconnaissance to support the Department of Commerce.

815^th Airlift Squadron

   The 815^th is nicknamed the “Flying Jennies” and is a tactical airlift unit that has been at Keesler since 1973. The 403rd Wing was the first American unit to combat-prove the C-130J while in Iraq in 2004. The unit deployed again in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

   The 815^th is authorized 46 officers and 109 enlisted personnel. Thirty-two of those officers and airmen are Air Reserve technicians. The unit also employs three civilians.

   The 815^th dates to World War II when it was activated as the 815th Bombardment Squadron, flying B-17s. It saw action in Italy, France and Germany. It became part of the Air Force Reserve in 1973 and performed weather reconnaissance, flying into hurricanes to collect atmospheric data. Upon activation of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the 815th assumed an airlift mission.

   The wing’s 815^th was selected as the first Reserve unit in the Air Force to take delivery of the new “J” model C-130 and participated heavily in writing the book for “J” model operations.

   In the near future, the 815^th Flying Jennies and maintainers will be associated with an active-duty unit, resulting in more personnel and two more aircraft to the wing. The 815th holds seven world-records in airlift in the C-130 airframe.

Hurricane Hunters

   Although satellites are able to keep close watch on hurricanes, they are unable to determine the interior barometric pressure of a hurricane, and can’t provide accurate wind speed information. That’s where hurricane hunters come in.

   The 403^rd Wing’s 53^rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is responsible for all weather reconnaissance missions flown with the Department of Defense. It has 10 Lockheed Martin WC-130J aircraft to perform the mission.

   Called Hurricane Hunters, the squadron flies into hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean to measure weather data in and around the storms. It’s the only DoD organization doing the mission and the only operational hurricane reconnaissance unit in the world.

   But the 53^rd is not the only organization called hurricane hunters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also has a team of hurricane hunters, based at the aircraft operations center at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. That organization, which focuses on research, uses WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft for the mission.

Future

   It would be hard to picture a time when the airlift and weather reconnaissance missions of the 403^rd would not be considered crucial.

   With U.S. troops deployed worldwide, tactical airlift plays a key and growing role. Officials with the 403^rd say the capabilities of the wing and its aircraft enable it to adapt to any challenge.

   The Flying Jennies can perform aeromedical/refugee evacuation airlift and resupply forces in a combat zone and forward areas. The ability to land in short distances and reconfigure the plane depending on the mission gives 403^rd a high degree of flexibility to meet asymmetrical or conventional threats.

   In addition, every year hurricanes pose a threat, and the Hurricane Hunters play a key role in helping threatened areas prepare. The data collected by the Hurricane Hunters increases the accuracy of the National Hurricane Center forecast by 30 percent.

   In almost any scenario imaginable, both the airlift and weather missions will continue to be important.

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· One of four National Guard Combat Readiness Centers

· Provides combat environment for thousands of warfighters

· Uses ranges at Camp Shelby and over the Gulf of Mexico

   It was a weekday at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, and not an unusual one. Every few minutes the air was punctuated by the sound of jets coming and going. Some were airliners taking off or landing at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, but most were warplanes.

   Welcome to the nerve center of an impressive array of combat training designed to keep American fighting at the top of their game.

   The Air National Guard base on the eastern edge of Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is the smallest base in Harrison County, whether measured by personnel or acreage. But the level of activity is impressive by any standard.

   “Our sole purpose is to provide an integrated, year-round, realistic environment, facilities, airspace and ranges, to prepare the Air National Guard and other military units to go to war,” said Col. Lance Hester, commander of the CRTC.

   In any given year, thousands of pilots come to Gulfport to engage in mock combat and hone their skills in case the real thing comes along. It’s an airborne schoolhouse equipped with a state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar combat training system that keeps track of every move, good or bad.

   On this particular day in August there were 50 sorties at the airport, 20 bombing runs and four C-17 assault landings at Camp Shelby, and 20 sorties over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico range. On the ground there were 800 uniformed visitors on base. The most intimidating activity might have been the personnel manning machine gun placements.

   And it’s all fairly routine. In a typical month, the Gulfport ANG center accounts for 25,000 training days.

   As if that’s not enough activity, over the past four or five years the ANG has also served as a launching point for troop deployments. An average of 40,000 troops have flown out of the airport in some 700 military and charter flights.

The base

   The Trent Lott Readiness Training Center takes up 220 acres on the eastern edge of Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. In addition to the Combat Readiness Training Center, the complex is also home to the 255th Air Control Squadron, 209th Civil Engineering Squadron, the Army National Guard’s 1108^th helicopter maintenance depot and a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency drug interdiction unit.

   Hester said the CRTC has 120 military personnel, 100 civilians and 55 contractors. It had an operating budget last year of $14 million, of which payroll accounted for $4.5 million for both military and civilians.

   In addition, the CRTC accounts for some $20 million in contracts, and the construction total for fiscal year 2008 was $44 million. Another $4.5 million is current “under design.”

   Hester estimated the total economic impact of the base in fiscal year 2008 was about $50 million.

  The Air National Guard training site was established at the airport in 1954 and renamed the Combat Readiness Training Center in 1990.  The CRTC, which has no warplanes permanently assigned to the base, is one of four operated by the Air National Guard to provide all branches of the military, active duty, Reserve and Guard, with a training environment with land and sea ranges. The other CRTCs are in Savannah, Ga., Alpena, Mich., and Volk Field, Wis.

   When units are scheduled to deploy, they come to the CRTC to go through a practice run of what they’ll do overseas, including setting up everything that will be needed.

Far-flung assets

   The CRTC’s assets are far flung.

   It utilizes two runways at the busy Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. One runway is the 9,000 foot east-west and the other the 6,000 foot north-south.

   Another asset used by the CRTC is Camp Shelby, south of Hattiesburg. The largest state-owned training site in the nation, it is nearly 135,000 acres and features an air-to-ground range and low altitude airspace to provide realistic ground attack scenarios.

   South of Gulfport are the vast ranges over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The offshore airspace is fully instrumented for recording air-to-air engagements.

   “We have fighters over the gulf every day,” Hester said.

   At the heart of the aerial training is a multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art P5 Combat Training System, which provides training and debriefing capability and combines sophisticated electronic threat and scoring systems as well.

   Combined, the Gulfport center, Camp Shelby and Gulf of Mexico provide the CRTC with supersonic airspace, gunnery ranges, facilities and equipment to enhance combat readiness of the nation’s fighting forces.

   The activity at the base has actually picked up over the past few years because of another activity. For around five years the ANG center has become a key embarkation and debarkation center for all branches of the military.

   The base has averaged 40,000 per year who leave Gulfport for deployment to a variety of locations. Hester said the huge aircraft many residents see flying into and out of the airport on many occasions are these deployment flights. He said the deployments account for some 700 aircraft a year, mostly chartered.

Lost in the mix

   Hester said he thinks the Guard activity at the base is sometimes overlooked when people think about the military. Part of the reason, he said, may be because the base is so much smaller than Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi.

   “A lot of folks in Gulfport, Miss., have no idea this place exists,” said Hester, who said that when he’s out in the community wearing his uniform, many people assume he’s from Keesler. When he tells them he’s based at the airport and with the Air National Guard, some say they are unfamiliar with the mission.

   “This area is a big secret. They know the Seabees, they know Keesler,” he said. “We get lost in the mix.”

   But he said that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Guard members are to a large extent people who have grown up in the area and are already highly integrated into their community.

   He said the only time they are seen is when they get involved in community activities.

   “I think the big difference between us and active duty is, most of the folks who work here grew up here. I think there’s a little more sense of community,” Hester said.

   There’s also an age difference between the Guard and active duty. The Guard includes a lot of personnel with prior service in active duty, and that means a higher median age.

   “I think it’s a little older group with a little more vested interest,” said Hester. Besides, the Guard personnel know they’re not going to be moving.

Future

   While the nation’s military tries to determine the best way to deal with both conventional and unconventional threats in an age of tight budgets, Hester thinks that no matter how the military goes, the ANG activities in Gulfport have a secure future.

   “I really think what we do here is going to be relevant, it doesn’t matter what the conflict or potential threat,” said Hester. He said military units “will still have to go somewhere, still have to deploy. Training is still going to be relevant. We’re going to be in business.”

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