Keesler Air Force Base

Keesler Air Force Base is located in Biloxi, Mississippi, in Harrison County. The site was activated on June 12, 1941, as Army Air Corps Station No. 8, Aviation Mechanics School, and dedicated as Keesler Army Airfield on August 25, 1941. Named in honor of 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., the installation was established to support technical training requirements during World War II, specializing in aircraft maintenance and basic military training. During the war, the base trained Tuskegee Airmen across several technical disciplines, including radio operations and aviation mechanics.

Following the transition to the U.S. Air Force, the facility was redesignated Keesler Air Force Base on January 13, 1948. It became a center for radar and radio operations training in the late 1940s and expanded into missile ground support training in 1956. In the early 1990s, the base absorbed meteorology and precision measurement equipment training programs following the closure of Chanute Air Force Base and Lowry Air Force Base.

The 81st Training Wing serves as the host unit under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The base also houses the Headquarters of the Second Air Force, which manages technical training across the command. Current operations focus on specialized ground trade training, including avionics, cryptography, information technology, and air traffic control. Resident units include the 403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command, the 85th Engineering Installation Squadron of the Air Combat Command, and the U.S. Space Force 533rd Training Squadron Detachment 2. The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Keesler provides instruction for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel.

Infrastructure includes "the triangle," a dedicated complex for four training squadrons, and the 81st Medical Group, which operates the second largest medical center in the Air Force. The base hosts squadrons of C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft and WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron utilizes the WC-130J for tropical cyclone forecasting and aerial weather data collection.