Keesler Air Force Base is home to the 81st Training Wing (TRW). Our lineage dates back to 1941 as the Army Air Corps’ schoolhouse – training everyone from aircraft and engine mechanics to cooks and meat cutters. In 1948, Keesler Field was officially re-designated as an Air Force Base. Today, the 81st Training Wing is the second largest technical training wing in the Air Force, consisting of military, Department of Defense civilians, and international students. The wing is charged with producing the technical operators the AF and the DoD need to ensure our national security. Our graduates are assigned to expeditionary air, space, and cyberspace forces all around the world, supporting both combat and non-combat missions.
History
The 81 Training Wing replaced Keesler Training Center in July 1993, taking on the mission of specialized technical training in electronics, avionics, computers, operations, maintenance, weather, radar, precision measurement, network controllers and personnel and information management for USAF, AF Reserve, Air National Guard, other DoD agencies and foreign nations. Keesler AFB received severe damage from Hurricane Katrina on 29 Aug 2005. The wing's relief and recovery mission, Operation Dragon Comeback, restored the base to full mission readiness within a month.