NEWS UPDATES FROM HARRISON COUNTY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

Harrison County Special Report 2011 The Military October 2011 South Mississippi's multibillion-dollar bases are Commentary 2 education and training hot spots that deploy troops and Economic Impact 3 equipment worldwide. They are pillars of the economy, 4 providing jobs to thousands and awarding millions in Seabees 8 National Guard 10 contracts to local businesses... Coast Guard 12 Defense Contractors 13 Veterans & Retirees 14 National Cemetery 15 Navy at Stennis 16 Camp Shelby 18 Supervisor of Shipbuilding 19 Bases at a Glance 20

About the Harrison County Development Commission: Created in 1958, the Harrison County Development Commission (HCDC) is the lead economic development agency for Harrison County, including the cities of Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi and D’Iberville. HCDC, through its people and resources, is committed to promoting Harrison County as a positive place to live and do business, to developing quality jobs, to creating increased wealth for all stakeholders and to “Moving the Mississippi Gulf Coast Forward.”

Contact Information: M-1A2 Abrams of Tennessee's 278th Armored Cavalry fires a round during training at Camp Shelby. Larry S. Barnett Photo by SFC Clint Wood, 278th Public Affairs Office. Executive Director 228-896-5020 www.mscoast.org commentary Honoring Our Men and Women in Uniform

The military is an integral part of our community in Harrison County, and in the broader South Mississippi region. They are valued guests while they’re here, and we’re happy many of them decide to settle here when they leave the military. These highly educated citizens continue to improve our communities in second careers, some serving in public Center is a key military office, some starting businesses. logistics center, and the place where Seabees In this, our third military report, you will learn more about teach combat skills to the impact our service men and women make on our economy, other military personnel. education, job creation and defense. I’m struck by some of The Gulfport Readiness the numbers in this year’s report. Center is home to one of four Combat Readiness Call them “wow” numbers, if you will. Here’s just a few: Training Centers in the • The combined economic impact of the military Larry Barnett nation, as well as one installations in this region is more than $1 billion. of four helicopter repair • Keesler is listed as having one of the highest replacement depots. NASA’s Stennis Space Center is home of the Navy’s values in the nation. The bases in Harrison County oceanography command, critical for fleet and other military account for 44 percent of the replacement value of all operations, a Navy Research Lab detachment and special bases in Mississippi. operations training. • Harrison County has 6 percent of Mississippi’s population, but more than 21 percent of the state’s military retirees. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of the military • Department of Defense retirees bring in more than bases and their personnel. This special report of the HCDC $10 million every month in payroll. Communicator is our way of showing them, and others, that • Harrison County has a larger percentage of veterans we value what they do for us. Let’s continue to support our than the nation as a whole, and this group is better educated men and women in uniform. We salute you, now and always. and earns more than the non-veteran population. • During 2010 in Harrison County, 277 contractors won $147 million in work for the Defense Department. Larry Barnett From 2000 to 2010, the value was $1.2 billion. Executive Director • The Seabees have more than a half-billion dollars worth Harrison County Development Commission of equipment in Gulfport ready for deployment worldwide. 228-896-5020 • Keesler and the Naval Construction Battalion Center train www.mscoast.org a combined 40,000 students every year; thousands of pilots hone their skills at the Combat Readiness Training Center. • Camp Shelby since 2004 has trained and deployed more than 150,000 troops to hot spots and combat zones around the world.

The numbers are only part of the story. The value of the The Harrison County Development Commission was military missions in South Mississippi is clear. Keesler is created in 1958 and is the lead economic development the Air Force center for electronics training, including those agency for Harrison County, including the cities of who will fight in the new battlefield in cyberspace, and it’s Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi and also home to a major Air Force medical center, airlift and D’Iberville. HCDC is committed to promoting Harrison weather recon operations. The Naval Construction Battalion County as a positive place to live and do business, to developing quality jobs, to creating increased wealth for all stakeholders and to “Moving the Mississippi Gulf Coast Forward.”

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 2 economic impact

Camp Shelby Forrest County National Guard Forrest National Guard Training Center Gulfport Army National Guard Naval Construction Stennis Space Center Battalion Center Hancock County Gulfport NASA, U.S. Navy tenant U.S. Navy Keesler Air Force Base Biloxi Harrison U.S. Air Force Hancock Jackson

Coast Guard Station Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulfport Pascagoula U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Navy

The Multibillion-dollar Military Footprint There are some big numbers that come into play when it comes to the The Dollars military’s annual economic impact on Installation/Activity Economic Impact Multiplier/Extended PRV South Mississippi. Keesler Air Force Base $709 Million $1.19 Billion $2.4 Billion* The estimated economic impact of the bases in Harrison County alone is Naval Construction Battalion Center $350 Million n/a $987.9 Million $1.11 billion. Add Navy activities at Air National Guard $50 Million n/a $160.1 Million Stennis Space Center and Camp Camp Shelby $137 Million (payroll) n/a $1.2 Billion Shelby’s payroll and the impact Stennis Space Center $162 Million $321 Million n/a increases to $1.41 billion. And that’s (Navy only) a low number. It doesn’t include Totals $1.41 Billion $1.51 Billion $4.74 Billion figures for the Coast Guard or the * Includes Site #2 ($50.3M), Training Annex ($50.1M) Navy’s Supervisor of Shipbuilding, which were not available. But that’s just the “standard” impact for Keesler and the According to the Department of Defense Base Structure “50-mile radius” impact for the Navy at SSC. Use Keesler’s Report Fiscal Year 2010 Baseline, the total Plant Replacement multiplier effect and SSC’s “global” impact and the impact Value (PRV) for military bases in Mississippi is $7.9 billion. is more than $1.51 billion. But the thinking is, that probably Keesler Air Force Base, its Site #2 and training annex #1 underestimates the impact. Numbers provided by some of the combined are valued at $2.4 billion - 30 percent of the value bases are from a few years ago and haven’t been updated. of all bases in Mississippi. But Keesler’s economic impact numbers are done every year, Add the Naval Construction Battalion Center and the and give a detailed picture. Military/student payroll is $195.6 National Guard activities and the figure goes to $3.5 billion, million and civilian payroll $211.4 million. The base spends more than 44 percent of the state’s total. Go further and add $153 million making purchases from local businesses for a Camp Shelby and the value rises to $4.7 billion, nearly 60 variety of services. It also lists $147.4 million as the payroll percent of the state’s total. for secondary jobs created, and provides $782,000 worth of But those are DoD totals. It doesn’t include the volunteer hours. replacement value of Stennis Space Center, where the Navy All of that is a value to the community. But there’s another is the biggest tenant, or the Department of Homeland set of numbers that shows the military’s value to the Pentagon. Security’s Coast Guard.

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 3 keesler air force base Keesler: Training, Healing and Flying

• 20,000 plus students train every year at Keesler • Keesler personnel deploy worldwide • One of the largest medical facilities in the Air Force

The 1,859-acre base has been a part of the Biloxi landscape since 1941 and is Keesler AFB replacement value: $2.4 billion one of the most valuable in the Defense Department’s inventory. The Department of Defense Base Structure Report Fiscal Year 2010 Baseline lists Keesler Air Force Base as among the largest Propellers spin on C-130J-30 stretch model flown by the 815th and 345th AS. sites in the continental U.S. in terms of Photo courtesy of U.S. Airforce by Tech Sgt. Ryan Labadens. replacement value - $2.3 billion. That’s the highest in Mississippi. With Keesler Site #2 and beyond that the Gulf of Mexico. and the training annex, it adds another $100.4 million. The base, part of the Texas-based Air Education and But the value goes beyond dollars. Keesler is one of the Training Command, is headquarters to the 2nd Air Force and largest technical training centers in the Air Force, where the 81st Training . The number of people associated with tens of thousands of students are trained every year in the base, military and civilian personnel and dependents, is technical fields that are increasingly important to the military. between 14,000 and 15,000. Some live on base, some off. In addition, it’s home to one of the Air Force’s largest Most recent figures available show Keesler with an operating medical centers, also a training site, and has a crucial budget of $520 million, but between 2006 and 2009 close to airlift mission. In 2010, 1,249 airmen deployed to $1 billion came in for hurricane-related construction, including 59 locations worldwide. building on higher ground. Keesler is “an extremely active Air Force base hosting In fiscal year 2010, the base had a standard economic impact top-tier graduate, undergraduate and technical training of $709 million. When the standard economic multiplier is facilities supporting all four services, an active airfield used, the figure goes to about $1.2 billion. supporting a variety of operational and training flying missions and a fully functional Air Force hospital,” said Education Mission 81st Training Wing commander Brig. Gen. Andrew Mueller. Preparing airmen to take on their specialty is the This is Mueller’s first assignment at Keesler, but he’s no No. 1 mission for the 81st Training Wing. Keesler, Texas- stranger to what the base does. He’s had 26 years experience based , Goodfellow Air Force Base with personnel trained at Keesler and has been “extremely and are the primary training bases. impressed” with the quality of training. Since 1942, Keesler has graduated more than 2.2 million And in an age where the military increasingly relies on students. The training group, a Community College of the computers, unmanned systems, networks and electronics, Air Force institute, is accredited by the Commission of the that’s important. The base trains airmen, sailors, Marines, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. other Defense Department personnel and foreign students. The base provides training in cyber operations, computer/ communication systems, electronics, air traffic control, The Base weather, personnel, finance and force support. Keesler is west of downtown Biloxi, bordered on the north Mueller said all that training, including cyberspace, is by Back Bay and on the remaining sides by residential and extremely relevant to the Air Force mission. Indeed, the commercial areas. The Mississippi Sound is a half-mile south,

Keesler AFB is named for 2nd Lt. Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., of Greenwood, (Keesler continued, page 5) Mississippi, an aerial observer in World War I who died of wounds in France.

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 4 keesler air force base

Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, July 2011, calls cyberspace “a defining feature of modern life.” DoD operates over 15,000 networks and seven million 81st Training Wing computing devices across hundreds of installations in dozens Overview: Operated by the 81st of countries worldwide. Cyberspace is crucial to military, Training Wing, Keesler is a training intelligence and business operations, including the movement base for electronics, including of personnel and material and the command and control of cyber security. the full spectrum of military operations. DoD has made cyber security an operational domain like Major Tenants: 81st Training Wing; 81st Medical land, sea, air and space, allowing DoD to organize, train, and Group; 403rd Wing (Reserves) equip for cyberspace as it does for the other domains. Size: 1,859 acres The U.S. Cyber Command was established as a part of the Military/Students Personnel: 8,233 (FY2010) U.S. Strategic Command. Civilian Personnel: 4,095 (FY2010) The Aerospace Industry Association has pointed out Students: 20,000 annually that while the defense budget calls for belt-tightening, the Operating Budget: $520 million government needs people in cyber-security. And industry Standard Economic Impact: $709 million needs workers skilled in surveillance, reconnaissance Website: www.keesler.af.mil and intelligence. The 81st Training Group annually provides training for officers, enlisted and civilian employees of the DoD, contractors and allied nations. In fiscal year 2010 it trained the capabilities of Keesler Hospital and the VA campus to more than 25,000, not counting medical personnel trained enhance services along the central Gulf Coast. by the 81st Medical Group. The Keesler Hospital and its 88-acre campus with nine The students who come to Keesler directly from basic buildings and 900,000 square feet of healthcare facilities is training stay from a couple of weeks to a year. Others are run by the 81st Medical Group, which has 1,750 military and personnel who have been based elsewhere and come to civilian personnel. It also uses contractors for services ranging Keesler for retraining in a second, third or fourth job or from maintenance to surgeons. advanced training. The medical group had an operating budget last year of $89.4 million, but over the last few years the medical group Medical Mission has poured an additional $150 million to rebuild in the wake Keesler is also home to Keesler Hospital, one of the largest of Hurricane Katrina. in the Air Force and part of a multi-service market that The medical group has three missions: healthcare, includes five military and Coast Guard medical treatment deployment and training. Its primary mission is to maintain facilities, one VA hospital and three clinics caring for medical readiness for worldwide contingencies by providing 110,000 beneficiaries. healthcare to 9,000 active duty and 47,000 eligible Designated a “center of excellence,” the joint venture beneficiaries in a 40-mile prime service area. integrates clinical and administrative product lines, leveraging From Oct. 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011, the medical complex had 163,900 outpatient visits, 20,870 inpatient visits, 410 births, 75,510 radiology images procedures, 321,120 laboratory procedures, filled 1,054,200 prescriptions, had 20,580 emergency room visits, 17,930 surgeries, and 2,150 ambulatory procedures. With an inpatient capability of 44 medical/surgical beds, 10 labor/delivery beds and six ICU beds, the hospital averaged 20 patients in the inpatient units and one birth daily. 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. Keesler’s hospital is home to the DoD’s only medical The ground floor of the new Keesler Hospital tower has the emergency genetics center with some $2 million in special equipment. department, physical and occupational therapy and central sterile supply. The Air Force Medical Genetics Center performs 1,500 The upper floors will have the ICU, two new operating rooms and two cardiac cath labs, medical inpatient unit and surgical inpatient unit. Photo courtesy of 81st Medical Group (Keesler continued, page 6)

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 5 keesler air force base cytogenetic and 21,000 molecular genetics tests every year. It provides direct patient care and clinical laboratory 81st Medical Group reference testing for the DoD. The hospital also serves as the Federal Coordinating Center Overview: Major organization of for the National Disaster Medical System, the medical arm Keesler Air Force Base, its missions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It manages are healthcare, deployment and training. and maintains memorandums of agreement with 25 civilian medical facilities throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Major Assets: Full-service hospital with surgery The 81st Medical Group deploys Expeditionary Medical units, family birthing center, diagnostic imaging Support and Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility department, refractive surgery center, genetics center personnel and it's tasked with the third largest mobility and clinical research lab. mission in the Air Force Medical Service. The 81st Medical Size: 88 acres, 900,000 square feet of space Group is also postured to assist with Defense Support of Civil Military/Civilian Personnel: 1,750 Authorities missions, should a natural or manmade disaster Students: 222 occur in the continental United States. Operating Budget: $89.4 million The 81st Medical Group training includes graduate level Hurricane-related Construction: $103 million education in internal medicine, general surgery and dentistry Economic Impact: included in Keesler impact and training for physician assistants, nurses and apprentice Website: www.keesler.af.mil technicians. It has also started a physician assistant training program. The length of the training varies, with five years for surgery and three for internal medicine. The 81st MDG is responsible for one of only three blood For the dentists, there are three residency programs: the one- centers in the entire Air Force with a dual mission: collection, year Advanced Education in General Dentistry and General processing and distribution of thousands of blood products Practice Residency programs, which provide advanced training for in-house medical care; and air in the direct medical care above that which was attained in dental school, and a two- of wounded airmen, soldiers, sailors and Marines involved in year Endodontic Residency, with the second predominantly overseas contingency operations worldwide. clinical year of study spent at Keesler. In addition, the 81st Flying Mission Dental Squadron has started a one-year fellowship in Implant The 403rd Reserve Wing is the largest flying organization Restorative Dentistry. at Keesler Air Force Base, and the only Air Force Reserve There are also eight enlisted training programs for pharmacy command wing in Mississippi. They keep busy, deploying for technicians, radiology and lab workers, nuclear medicine airlift missions and providing weather reconnaissance when technicians, medical service technicians and more. The classes hurricanes threaten. run up to 39 weeks. The hospital also trains nurses new to the The wing, home of the Flying Jennies and Hurricane Air Force. Hunters, has 305 civilian workers and more than 1,500 Reservists. It operates out of 14 facilities totaling 343,636 square feet. The newest is a maintenance complex of 123,000 square feet. An area has also been cleared for a $10 million aerial port facility. Three groups, 10 squadrons and flights are co-located with the 403rd Wing, handling everything from operations to logistics and support to flying. Most recent available figures shows it with an operating budget of $60 million and economic impact of $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 403rd Wing was the first American unit to acquire the Water barrels roll out the back of a C-130J-30 strectch model aircraft flown J-model and wrote the book on its operation. The 403rd Wing by Reservists with the 815th Airlift Squadron and active-duty members of the 345th AS. Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force by Tech Sgt. Rayn Labadens (Keesler continued, page 7)

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 6 keesler air force base ranks third in the world in hours flown in the J-model behind Italy and Great Britain. 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, and Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. 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 A WC-130J Hurricane Hunter takes off for a mission. The plane is manned hurricane weather reconnaissance to support the Department by Reservists from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. of Commerce. Photo courtesy of 403rd Wing by Tech Sgt. James B. Pritchett The 815th is nicknamed the “Flying Jennies” and is a tactical airlift unit that has been at Keesler since 1973. It was the first Administration also has a team of hurricane hunters, based American unit to combat-prove the C-130J while in Iraq in at the aircraft operations center at MacDill Air Force Base 2004. The 815th has 46 authorized officers and 109 enlisted in Tampa, Fla. That organization uses WP-3D Orion and personnel. Thirty-two of those officers and airmen are Air Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft for the mission. Reserve technicians. The unit also employs three civilians. The 815th was selected as the first Reserve unit in the Future Air Force to take delivery of the new “J” model C-130 The training provides the core competencies to support and participated heavily in writing the book for “J” model today’s highly technical Air Force and provides the technical operations. The new association with the 345th provides it foundation for the future. As the electronics industry grows with more personnel and two more aircraft. and expands, it will be reflected through courses at Keesler. The 403rd Wing’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Mueller said that in order to provide the best possible is responsible for all weather reconnaissance missions flown training in these highly technical areas, a close partnership with the Department of Defense. It has 10 Lockheed Martin with acquisitions and industry helps ensure what’s being WC-130J aircraft to perform the mission. taught at Keesler is relevant and current. Called Hurricane Hunters, the squadron flies into hurricanes “As a result of this close partnership, when our airmen move in the Atlantic and Caribbean to measure weather data in and into the commercial sector, the training provided at Keesler is around the storms. It’s the only DoD organization doing the very relevant,” he said. mission and the only operational hurricane reconnaissance And Keesler Hospital is highly integrated in the surrounding unit in the world. community. A check of the medical staff at hospitals and But the 53rd is not the only organization called clinics along the Gulf Coast would show many who had hurricane hunters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric done their residency at or were assigned to the hospital. The cooperative agreements only underscore those ties, which will continue well into the future. 403rd Wing In addition, it would be hard to picture a time when the airlift and weather reconnaissance missions of the 403rd Overview: Major tenant would not be considered crucial. With U.S. troops deployed of Keesler Air Force Base, worldwide, tactical airlift plays an important role. its mission is tactical airlift and Officials with the 403rd say the capabilities of the wing weather reconnaissance. and its aircraft enable it to adapt to any challenge. The Flying Major Assets: Three groups, 10 squadrons, Jennies can perform aeromedical/refugee evacuation airlift and 18 C-130J aircraft resupply forces in a combat zone and forward areas. Size: 14 facilities totaling 343,636 square feet, The ability to land in short distances and reconfigure including new maintenance complex of the plane gives 403rd a flexibility to meet asymmetrical or 123,000 square feet. conventional threats. Military/Civilian Personnel: 1,500 On top of that, every year hurricanes pose a threat, and the Operating Budget: $60 million Hurricane Hunters play an important role in helping threatened Economic Impact: Included in Keesler Impact areas prepare. The data collected by the Hurricane Hunters Website: www.403wg.afrc.af.mil increases the accuracy of the National Hurricane Center forecast by 30 percent.

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 7 naval construction battalion center Seabees: Training, Mobilization, Logistics

• Millions in equipment stored in Gulfport • Combat Skills taught at NCBC Gulfport • Personnel from NCBC deployed worldwide

It’s the type of project that’s a larger part of what the Seabees do than most people may think. Recently, Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 replaced the roof on the Ocean Springs home of an 85-year-old World War II Seabee veteran. NCBC replacement value: $987.9 million “I really enjoy the fact that we can give back not only to a WWII vet, but a Seabee who was once in my shoes,” Builder Constructionman Seabees of NMCB 133 disassemble a medium girder bridge during a field training exercise at Camp Susan Morris said. Construction Electrician Shelby. It was one of many construction projects completed during the exercise earlier this year. 2nd Class Johnny Hawkins said getting Photo courtesy of Chief Mass Communications Specialist Ryan C. Delcore involved in the community is special. “Seabees build the intangible bridges of Mobile Construction Battalions 1, 7, 11, 74 and 133, and the trust,” said Rob Mims, public affairs officer for the Naval Construction Training Center. Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport. “Whether it It is also home to the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve is building a combat outpost for Marines and soldiers on the Center, Marine Corps Reserve’s 3rd Platoon, (Rein) Company front lines, digging water wells, building schools, clinics, A, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division, roads or bridges for villages in Africa and Asia, or just doing Mobile Inshore Underwater Warfare Unite 212, Naval volunteer work on the Gulf Coast, the Seabees work to help Meteorology and Oceanography Professional Development make lives better.” Center and Port Security Unit 308. “We make it our mission to make the world better, one More than 6,000 people work on the base, including project at a time,” he said. 4,900 active duty, 900 civilians and 150 contractors – one of the largest employers in Gulfport. More than 1,250 family Building, Fighting members live on the base. It’s with good reason the public associates Seabees with NCBC has an annual financial scope – a term that includes fighting. Navy construction battalions were created during operating budgets of the tenant commands and military World War II when it was clear unarmed civilian construction payroll – of more than $150 million. Officials estimate its workers in combat zones would be dangerous. Seabees have economic impact is $365 million. The last of $450 million been involved in every conflict since then. in recapitalization construction from Hurricane Katrina There are more than 10,000 Seabees deployed worldwide was completed in November 2009. Currently, there’s more with more than 3,000 deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. than $38 million worth of construction at the base with an Valued for their “can do” spirit, fighting and building became a additional $49 million worth slated for fiscal year 2012. hallmark, and earned Seabees the motto “We build, we fight.” The Atlantic Fleet Seabees or East Coast Seabees are based Training in Gulfport, one of only two locations Seabees call home. West There are three primary missions for Naval Construction Coast Seabees are in Port Hueneme, Calif. Each center can Battalion Center Gulfport: training, mobilization and logistics support theaters of operation worldwide. to support expeditionary forces. The Gulfport center, established in 1942, is 1,169 acres, west About 20,000 Navy, Army and Air Force students go through of U.S. 49 and north of U.S. 90. It has more than 52 tenants training at the base every year, though the numbers from in over 600 facilities, including the 20th Seabee Readiness month to month can vary widely. The training involves Group, 22nd and 25th Naval Construction Regiments, Naval

(Seabees continued, page 9)

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 8 naval construction battalion center classroom and hands-on work in the entire range of construction fields, including heavy equipment maintenance. Naval Construction The Seabees do a lot of simulation training using welding, Battalion Center heavy equipment, driving, and engine mechanic simulators. The Seabees also use a 360 degree system called a “Combat Overview: Located in Convoy Simulator,” used to teach how to effectively and west Gulfport, the center safely conduct convoy operations in hostile environments. is home of the Atlantic Fleet Because of the Seabee’s expertise from years of combat Seabees. Its mission includes training, the Navy decided Gulfport would be a good location training, mobilization and logistics. to teach other deploying sailors about combat and lifesaver Major Assets: 500 acres of warehouse space and skills. In 2008, the Expeditionary Combat Skills Site began. state-of-the-art packing and containerization facility. It trains about 2,400 sailors how to fire individual and Size: 1,169 acres crew-served weapons, administer combat first aid and other Workforce: 6,000 skills, including land navigation and small unit tactics. Active Duty: 4,900 Mobilization Civilian Personnel: 900 Contractors: 150 To understand how big the mobilization role of NCBC Students: 20,000 annual Gulfport is, consider what’s stored on roughly half of the Financial Scope: $150 million installation. Each battalion has more than 100 containers Economic Impact: $365 million of gear and equipment needed to operate independently, along with at least 300 pieces of construction equipment. NCBC, as a readiness center, is the “shipyard” that stores, material requires a state-of-the-art, computerized, automated maintains, packages and turns out everything a battalion packaging system, and the Seabees have it. It ranks as the needs to deploy, from trucks, utility vehicles, bulldozers, largest covered storage capacity in the Navy – several graders and cranes to weapons, ammunition, food, million square feet. communications equipment and office supplies. Spread out over 500 acres, the value of the warehouse Logistics assets is about $400 million. There are additional supplies While the Seabee reputation is built around tough, hands-on and equipment stored for the 20th Seabee Readiness Group work, in today’s modern world they are equally adept at using and other tenants with a combined value of $200 million. the most modern technologies available to move personnel and Some material is also forward deployed. machines wherever needed. They’ve had practice, since 1942. “We basically have enough equipment and gear here to In most years, more than 2,400 Seabees either leave or return outfit all of our battalions if needed,” said Mims. All this to the base. Another 6,000 active duty and Reserve military personnel are processed through the Naval Mobilization Processing Site at Seabee Center. Call it great planning or call it serendipity, but the Naval Construction Battalion Center is positioned at the center of an intermodal system that provides it with access to a seaport, international airport, interstate highways and rail system. That means the cost of doing business in Gulfport is less. The Mississippi State Port at Gulfport is a mile and a half to the south and Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and the Air National Guard a short hop to the north. Interstates 10 and 59 also are nearby, and on base there’s rail access. Working with other facilities and sharing infrastructure costs helps make the Seabee base cost-effective. The Seabees seems a good fit for Gulfport. They’re hard workers with a “can do” attitude, much like Gulfport, and the relationship runs deep. When Hurricane Camille hit in 1969, the Seabees were the first on the ground to help. And a month Construction Electrician 2nd Class Johnny Hawkins and Builder after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, there were 3,000 Seabees 2nd Class Raymond A. Rankins, both assigned to Naval Mobile Construction on the ground, a huge chunk of the 4,800 Seabees available Battalion (NMCB) 11, re-roof the home of a WWII veteran and former Seabee during a community service project. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy photo by worldwide. Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Jonathan Carmichael

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 9 gulfport / biloxi international airport Nerve Center in Time of Crisis

• Center a hot spot in times of crisis • CRTC one of four in the United States • Helicopter repair activity set to expand

It’s a critical mission of the National Guard that only becomes apparent during a crisis. And when that happens, the Trent Lott Readiness Training Center in Gulfport becomes a hotbed of activity and a nerve center for recovery. The 267-acre readiness center at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport becomes a city within a city when the call goes out during times of emergency. In 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, the center designed to bed down 900 had up to 14,000, a ANG replacement value: $160.1 million division size, as part of Joint Task Force Magnolia. “We had troops from all over the country,” said the Guard’s spokesman Tim Powell, who said personnel came from 40 states. The number of A key capability of the National Guard during a time of crisis is delivering supplies, as troops peaked five days after landfall and was it did during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Photo courtesy of Mississippi National Guard maintained at that level for several weeks. The Combat Readiness Training Center, which usually with tier 1 involving up to 500 troops and tier 4 up to 15,000, focuses on training, was the base of operations during Katrina said the Guard’s Col. Lee Smithson. Last year it also had 260 and housed most of the troops. troops in Gulfport in response to Deepwater Horizon. They The Base used their aviation resources to fly over the Mississippi Sound The Trent Lott Readiness Training Center is on the eastern and spot oil, then contact vessels of opportunity to respond. edge of the airport. It’s the smallest base in Harrison County When called out by the governor, the first big capability in acreage and personnel. It’s home to the Combat Readiness brought to the table is sheer manpower. But it also brings Training Center, the 255th Air Control Squadron, 209th capabilities few if any other responders have, including cargo Civil Engineering Squadron, the Army National Guard’s heavy lift, communications equipment and personnel and 1108th helicopter maintenance operation and a U.S. Drug aerial and ground search and rescue. The National Guard is Enforcement Agency drug interdiction unit. In addition, over equipped with high-wheeled vehicles that, because of the the past seven years the base has served as a launching point ground clearance, can get into areas others can’t. for troop deployments. Some 50,000 troops have flown out of “The National Guard has a calming presence,” said the airport aboard 800 military and charter flights. Smithson. “Just the mere presence lets the population know It’s also the location where troops from outside the region looting won’t be an issue, civil disturbance won’t be an issue.” deploy. Over the past year there were over 250 training They can work with county crews on road clearance, and activities. The total number of people trained at the Gulfport with utilities to get rights of way opened up. One capability CRTC for October 2010 to August 2011 was 10,822, according that comes in handy is the civil support team that can work to the National Guard. with hazardous materials. In Times of Crisis The CRTC It’s not just storms like Katrina that prompt a mobilization For the general public, the Combat Readiness Training to the Trent Lott center. The National Guard mobilized for Center’s mission may be the most noticeable. It was Hurricane Gustav and Ike, sending 250 and 100 troops, established to provide a year-round, realistic environment, respectively. The Guard uses a tiered response system,

Trent Lott Readiness Center is named for Senator Trent Lott, Sr., who served in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2007 and in the U.S. House from 1973 to 1989. (National Gaurd continued, page 11)

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 10 gulfport / biloxi international airport facilities, airspace and ranges, to prepare the Air National Guard and other military units to go to war, said Col. Lance Trent Lott Readiness Hester, CRTC’s commander. Training Center Every year thousands of pilots use the Gulfport airspace and facilities to engage in mock combat. It’s equipped with a state- Overview: The center at of-the-art, multimillion-dollar combat training system that Gulfport-Biloxi International keeps track of every move, good or bad. Airport, houses the Combat In a typical month, the Gulfport ANG center accounts for Readiness Training Center, 255th Air Control Squadron, 25,000 training days. When units are scheduled to deploy, they 209th Civil Engineering Squadron, come to the CRTC to go through a practice run of what they’ll and 1108th Theater Aviation do overseas, including setting up everything needed. Sustainment Maintenance Group, The Air National Guard training site was established at the 231st, HSC/809th, Co. A/890th. airport in 1954 and renamed the Combat Readiness Training Center in 1990. The CRTC is one of four operated by the Air Size: 267 acres National Guard to provide all branches of the military, active Military/Civilian: 467 duty, Reserve and Guard, with a training environment. Other Training: averages 25,000 training days a month CRTCs are in Savannah, Ga., Alpena, Mich., and Volk Field, Wis. Website: www.ngms.state.ms.us Hester said the CRTC has 120 military personnel, 100 civilians and 55 contractors. It has an operating budget of about $14 million, with payroll accounting for $4.5 million for both military and civilians. maintenance to Army National Guard aircraft throughout the The CRTC uses the 9,000-foot east-west and the 6,000-foot nine Southeastern United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands and north-south runways at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. Puerto Rico. It also uses Camp Shelby, south of Hattiesburg, the largest The TASMG takes up 35 acres at the Trent Lott National state-owned training site in the nation. It’s nearly 135,000 Guard Training Complex, and the operation includes a main acres and features an air-to-ground range and low altitude hangar, paint hangar, supply warehouse, motor pool, blade/ airspace to provide realistic ground attack scenarios. There machine shop and engine shop. are also Gulf of Mexico ranges. Work performed at the TASMG includes airframe and “We have fighters over the Gulf every day,” Hester said. component repair on OH-58C and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, At the heart of the aerial training is a state-of-the-art UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook and the AH-64 Apache. P5 Combat Training System, which provides training and The TASMG also provides year-round, in-house training for debriefing capability and combines sophisticated electronic National Guard soldiers from throughout the United States. threat and scoring systems. It features real-time weapons The current $6.5 million, 140,000 square-foot facility was simulations and live monitoring thanks to GPS-equipped, built in 1988, but plans are to build a facility twice as large aircraft-mounted instrumentation pods and ground stations with updated features for an estimated cost of $103 million. with display systems that aircrews can use to conduct, monitor The project will get under way in 2012. and control live air combat training, as well as post-flight debriefs. The Impact AVCRAD Now TASMG The CRTC alone accounts for some $20 million in contracts, Also at the base is the Army National Guard’s 1108th and the construction total for fiscal year 2008 was $44 million. Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group, or Another $4.5 million is currently “under design.” Hester TASMG, formerly called the 1108th AVCRAD, or Aviation estimates the total economic impact of the base is about Classification and Repair Depot. $50 million. The 1108th TASMG, on the east side of Gulfport-Biloxi While the nation’s military tries to determine the best way International Airport, does maintenance, repairs and overhaul to deal with both conventional and unconventional threats in work on about 350 helicopters a year. It has 192 full-time an age of tight budgets, Hester thinks that no matter how the personnel, 113 of them uniformed. Within those numbers are military goes, the ANG activities in Gulfport have a secure 75 contractors and four state workers. future. Hester said the number of training days is beginning In August 140 members of the TASMG mobilized for to kick back up. deployment to Afghanistan and Kuwait. The first stop was “I can see our business picking up,” said Hester. “You still to Camp Shelby in Forrest County. A lot of the deployed have to stay ready. It doesn’t matter if they cut manpower, you members are volunteers. still have to spend training money to stay relevant. Over the The depot, one of only four such National Guard facilities next year or year and a half our business will pick up.” nationwide, provides intermediate level and limited depot level

HCDC Communicator • October 2009 • Page 11 u.s. coast guard Deployment Part of Coast Guard Mission

• Military branch with enforcement mission • Operations in Gulfport, Pascagoula, SSC, Kiln • Special units can deploy overseas in 24 hours

When you think of the U.S. Coast Guard you think of men and women who use a variety of vessels and aircraft to rescue those in distress or enforce laws. You don’t think overseas deployment. But Port Security Unit 308 from Kiln returned in late February 2011 from a year- long tour in Kuwait providing port security, protecting economic interests and the safety of the mariners in the area. The overseas deployments are just a lesser- known part of the multi-faceted Coast Guard mission, which is unique in the military. While the other branches are banned from domestic The 175-foot USCG Cutter Barbara Mabrity of the 8th District is a coastal bouy law enforcement, the Coast Guard is in the tender that ensures aids to navigation are properly placed. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard thick of it. Part military, part law enforcement, part regulatory agency, the 87-foot patrol boats USCG Cutter Razorbill and USCG the Coast Guard was established in 1790 as the United States Cutter Pompano, and Aids to Navigation Team Gulfport. Each Revenue Cutter Service, predating the Navy by eight years. cutter has about 11 members and aids to navigation team has 12. Once part of the Treasury Department, in 1967 it came under Every year Gulfport station personnel conduct more than the Transportation Department and in 2003 was shifted to the 600 boardings on recreational and commercial boats. It Department of Homeland Security. averages 300 search and rescue cases annually, and has a Its missions: ports, waterways and coastal security; drug communications room that operates 24/7. interdiction; aids to navigation; search and rescue; living In Pascagoula, the Coast Guard station is on the 437-acre marine resources; marine safety; defense readiness; migrant Singing River Island, where 30 people are assigned. The interdiction; marine environmental protection; ice operations; station hosts one other command, the 82-crew, 210-foot and other law enforcement. USCG Cutter Decisive, used for lengthy patrols in the Gulf of South Mississippi’s Coast Guard activities are part of Mexico. the New Orleans 8th A six-member Coast Guard team also works at Stennis District. There’s a station in Space Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Gulfport with 41 members, Administration's National Data Buoy Center, and not far away nine part-time and 60 is PSU 308. auxiliary volunteers. PSUs can be deployed within 24 hours and establish It has two 41-foot utility operations within 96 hours. They provide waterside protection boats, one 25-foot Response to key assets, such as piers, high value vessels and harbor Boat-Small (RB-S) and two entrances. They can also operate in U.S. territorial waters. 24-foot Special Purpose Each PSU is staffed by 140 reservists and five active duty Craft-Shallow Water personnel. Personnel prepare for operations during (SPC-SW). It also hosts weekend drills and participate in specialized training three other commands: over a two-week period.

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 12 harrison county DoD a Big Customer for Area Businesses

• Harrison County has 453 DoD contractors • $1.2 billion awarded between 2000-2010 • Construction companies dominate the top 10

The Department of Defense is one of the biggest customers for Harrison County companies, awarding 277 contracts last year with a combined value of nearly $147 million. Of the five cities in the county, the most contracts, 148, were awarded to businesses in Gulfport in 2010. They had a combined value Seemann Composites is just one of the county businesses doing work for DoD. of $80.7 million. Photo courtesy of Seemann Composites GovernmentContractsWon.com lists 453 Harrison County businesses doing work for the DoD. Katrina, remains on the list as a New Orleans company. The list includes a range of businesses, from tire dealers and Include USMI on the Harrison County list and it would have marine cargo handlers been among the largest contractors. Between 2000 and 2010 it to janitorial services won $351.86 million in contracts, second highest behind Roy 2010 Contract Count and sign makers. Anderson, with most of that after it moved headquarters to in Five Cities Between 2000 and Gulfport. In 2010, it was awarded 39 contracts with a value of Biloxi 65 $46.0M 2010 they landed $13.2 million, which would rank it fourth in Harrison County. Gulfport 148 $80.7M 2,811 contracts Diberville 25 $11.4M valued at $1.2 billion. Place of Performance 2000-2010 Long Beach 13 $151,264 Based on the Keesler AFB $1.478B value of contracts, Pass Christian 12 $257,571 Biloxi $370.9M “commercial and Gulfport $915.39M (Source: GovernmentContractsWon.com) institutional building construction” Long Beach $5M dominated the top 10 between 2000 and 2010 with three Pass Christian $81.35M contractors. Roy Anderson Corp. of Gulfport and Biloxi’s (Source: GovernmentContractsWon.com) Whitesell, Green, Yates & Sons are No. 1 and 2 respectively, while Anderson Drace Joint Venture is No. 6. Third is K-Mar Harrison County, with 453, is the big dog in South Industries of D’Iberville, a multi-media company, classified as Mississippi when it comes to the number of “defense “facilities support services,” followed by food service provider contractors.” Jackson County has 145, Hancock County 57, Austin and Associates, also of D’Iberville. Pearl River County 40, George County 13 and Stone One company that would likely come to mind as a more County 6. To the north, Forrest County has 158 contractors traditional defense contractor, Seemann Composites Inc., is who perform work for DoD. eighth on the list with $35.35 million. But here’s where a When it comes to the value of contracts, Jackson County caveat comes in. That amount is just for contracts with DoD. tops the list with $18.76 billion in contracts between 2000 The listing does not include work the company does as a and 2010, thanks in large part to Ingalls Shipbuilding, the subcontractor for DoD prime contractors located elsewhere. former Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. Adding that amount would nearly triple the figure for SCI. In Harrison County, the most active “place of performance” And there’s another cautionary note. One of the biggest for defense contracts is Keesler Air Force base, with $1.47 contractors doesn’t even appear on the list for Harrison billion in work done between 2000 and 2010. The most County. United States Marine Inc., which moved its active Harrison County city is Gulfport, with $915.3 million headquarters from New Orleans to Gulfport after Hurricane worth of work.

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 13 harrison county Veterans, Retirees Valuable Resources

• Harrison County has 22,620 veterans Harrison County, State Military Retirees • Veterans are better educated, earn more Branch Mississippi Harrison County Percentage Air Force 9,957 3,067 30.8 • 5,708 DoD, Coast Guard retirees in county Navy 6,030 1,672 27.7 • Retirees brings $10M a month into county Army 9,543 745 7.8 Marines 942 158 16.77 As a group, they generally are better educated and earn more than non-veteran counterparts. And in Harrison County, Coast Guard 321 66 20.56 veterans make up a larger percentage of the population than Total 26,472 5,642 21.3 they do in the nation as a whole. (Source: Office of Actuary, as of Sept. 30, 2010) There are 22,620 veterans in Harrison County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s QuickFacts, with 87.4 percent males veterans, 25.3 percent, have a bachelor’s degree or higher and 12.6 percent females. The largest group, 33.4 percent, than those in Harrison County, but 34.3 percent of veterans served during the Vietnam era, and 33.2 percent are 35 to 54 nationwide have some college or associates degree – 10 years of age. percent fewer than the figure for Harrison County. In addition, The list of veterans includes a large number of military a smaller proportion of Harrison County veterans have less retirees. As of Sept. 30, 2010, there were 5,642 Departmentof than a high school education. For the nation’s veterans it’s 9.8 Defense retirees in Harrison County, according to the Office of percent, more than 2 percent higher. the Actuary. That’s up slightly from the previous year. Of that group, 3,067 served in the Air Force, 1,672 in the Navy, 745 Declining Group in the Army and 158 in the Marines. In addition to the DoD The nation’s veteran population stands at 22,658,000. Of that retirees, there are 66 retirees who served with the Coast Guard. group, 7.5 million served during the Vietnam era, 5.8 million What’s striking is the proportion of the state’s military served in peace time, 5.7 million served in the Gulf War, 2.4 retirees living here. Harrison County accounts for 6.1 percent million during the Korean Conflict and 2 million during World of the state’s population, but it’s home to 30.8 percent of War II. But categories are not mutually exclusive. the state’s Air Force retirees, 27.7 percent of Navy retirees, Nationwide the veteran population is dropping about 1.7 20.6 percent of Coast Guard retirees, 16.8 percent of Marine percent per year, a result of the combination of the deaths of retirees and 7.8 percent of Army retirees, or 21.3 percent older veterans and the smaller size of the all-volunteer military. of the state’s military retiree population. The total veteran population nationwide decreased 14.4 Significantly, retirees bring in federal dollars through percent between 2000 and 2010, according to the Department retirement pay - $10.16 million per month. of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Actuary’s Veteran Population Neighboring counties also have high veteran counts. Jackson Projection Model 2007. County has a veteran population of 14.7 percent, and Hancock Mississippi reflects the broader national veteran population County has 14.4 percent, all higher than the national norm of decline. In this state, the veteran population was 205,600 as 10.1 percent. of Sept. 30, 2010. Ten years later it will drop to 171,800 and at the end of September 2030, it will be 147,200, according Making a Difference to federal data. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005-2009 American Community Survey shows that veterans in Harrison Period Served Veteran Population County have a higher median income, $34,661, than the (Harrison County) (18 and over) $20,416 for non-veterans. Of veterans 25 years and over, World War II 8% Harrison County 17.4% 44.4 percent have some college or associates degree, Korean Conflict 13.1% Gulfport-Biloxi MSA 16.5% while for non-veterans the figure is 30.8 percent. Vietnam Era 33.4% Jackson County 14.7% Twenty-one percent of veterans in Harrison County have Gulf War (8/1990 to 8/2001) 27.9% Hancock County 14.4% a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 19.2 percent of non-veterans. Only 7.7 percent of veterans have less Gulf War (9/2001 or later) 19% Pascagoula MSA 14% than a high school education, while for non-veterans (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, FactFinder, U.S. 10.1% 2005-2009 American Community Survey) the figure is 18.9 percent. Mississippi 9.9% The county’s veterans compare favorably in educational (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, attainment with veterans nationwide. More of the nation’s FactFinder, 2005-2009 American Community Survey)

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 14 harrison county Biloxi National Cemetery a Place of Honor

• Biloxi cemetery one of 131 VA national cemeteries • Medal of Honor recipient buried at the cemetery • Six unknown soldiers of Mexican-American War

The 77-year-old Biloxi National Cemetery is a place for quiet reflection about those who have served. Some who are buried at the cemetery died as a result of war, but others succumbed after living a full life. Their stories are sketched out on pages made of stone. Biloxi National Cemetery is one of close to 150 national cemeteries in the United States. The VA maintains 131 in 39 states and Puerto Rico, as well as 33 soldier’s lots and monument sites. Other national cemeteries are maintained by the Army, including Arlington National Cemetery, the National Parks Service and American Battle Monuments, Air Force SSG Kenneth Parker plays Taps during Memorial Day ceremony at the according to the Department Biloxi National Cemetery. Photo courtesy of Sun Herald by Tim Isbell of Veterans Affairs. The 54-acre Biloxi National Cemetery is some five miles his actions during the Battle of San Juan Hill west of the center of Biloxi on the grounds of the Department near Santiago, Cuba. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, adjacent to Keesler Field On July 2, 1898, Welborn, under enemy fire, left shelter Air Force Base. and went to the aid of a wounded private. He later went on to Established in March 1934 as part of the VA Medical Center, serve in the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion and the cemetery’s size was increased twice as the result of land World War I. He is buried in Section 12, Row 4, Grave 12. transfers from the medical center. In 1982, 17 acres were Six unknown soldiers who served in the Mexican-American added to the original 25 and in 1996 another 12 acres were War (1846-1848) are buried in Section H, grave 4 and 5, and provided for the cemetery, according to an overview at the VA Section DD, graves 25, 26, 27 and 28. They were reinterred at web site. Biloxi National Cemetery on Veterans Day 1989 and Memorial The cemetery was originally created to provide a final Day 2010, respectively. resting place for veterans who died at the medical center. These soldiers died at Camp Jefferson Davis, established on The first burial was March 24, 1934, with the interment Greenwood Islands in 1848 as a homecoming port for soldiers of Pvt. Edgar A. Ross, who served in 1898 with the returning to the United States from the Mexican-American 1st Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry. War. The burials became visible on the island as a result of In 1973 the National Cemetery Act was passed, opening the beach erosion. Archaeological efforts in the late 1970s-1980s cemetery to all honorably discharged veterans and dependents, and again in 2008-2009 resulted in the identification of the active duty personnel and their dependents regardless of home men as U.S soldiers. of residence or where death occurred. The first interment after There are two other national cemeteries in Mississippi: the facility was designated Biloxi National Cemetery was Air Corinth National Cemetery and Natchez National Cemetery. Force Chief Master Sgt. Robert E. Callender. Along the coast, the nearest national cemeteries to Biloxi are Among those buried in the cemetery is Col. Ira C. Welborn, Baton Rouge National Cemetery in Louisiana and Barrancas who was born in Miss. and died in 1956 in Gulfport, Miss. He National Cemetery in Pensacola, Fla. was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Spanish American War while a second lieutenant with the 9th U.S. Infantry for

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 15 john c. stennis space center Navy Activities at SSC Unique, Crucial

• Navy is largest tenant at Stennis Space Center • Oversees fleet of survey ships, rapid response team • Boat team, NRL part of Navy’s SSC activities

For Navy oceanographers, it’s the self-contained rapid response team, able to perform quick turnaround hydrographic surveys anywhere in the world. It’s called the Fleet Survey Team. The Mississippi-based team of 65 military and civilian members, created in 2005, A Chilean navy hydrographic officer watches Aerographer's Mate 3rd Class Sapheria Myers conduct does an unparalleled job within the Navy: a navigation survey in the Bay of Concepcion, Chile, aboard the fleet survey team hydrographic “expeditionary hydrography.” survey launch in November 2010. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy The value is clear. When U.S. forces have detailed descriptions of the environmental conditions they and effectiveness of naval operations; coordinate a fleet of could face in a coastal area, humanitarian or combat missions high-tech ships that survey the world’s oceans; operate one have a better chance of success. of the world’s most powerful supercomputers; and have a Members of the team are equipped to perform surveys world-renowned oceanographic library with materials dating from various boats of opportunity. They also have their own to the 1800s. highly specialized 30-foot boats and heavily modified personal Additional Navy activities at SSC include a detachment watercraft to use in even more shallow areas. of the Naval Research Laboratory, Special Boat Team 22, the They can deploy worldwide. They’ve been in combat areas Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School in the Middle East to perform near-shore surveys and have and Navy Human Resources Center Southeast. also played significant roles in charting areas hit by natural Rear Adm. Jonathan W. White, commander of the Naval disasters, like the 2004 south Asia tsunami and hurricanes Meteorology and Oceanography Command, has said that the Katrina and Rita in the Gulf of Mexico. Navy’s operations at Stennis represent a unique capability, and will continue to play a key role in the future. The Big Tenant The Fleet Survey Team is just one of the Navy activities at The Mission Stennis Space Center (SSC), the 13,800-acre NASA complex The command’s personnel are located at headquarters surrounded by 126,000-acre buffer zone. Known for testing at SSC and at field activities worldwide. Major subordinate rocket engines, SSC is also home to more than 30 federal and activities outside SSC include the Naval Meteorology and state agencies, including the Navy. Oceanography Professional Development Center, Gulfport, With over 2,000 people, Navy activities are significant. It’s Miss.; Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography home of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Center, Monterey, Calif.; and Naval Observatory, and its subordinate commands: the Naval Oceanographic Washington, D.C. Office and its subordinate command, the Fleet Survey Team; Oceanographers have to figure out what the environment Naval Oceanography Operations Command and its subordinate is now and what it will be in the near future. That’s crucial commands; Naval Oceanography Anti-Submarine Warfare to determine the best platforms and tools for a mission. Center and Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center. It runs the world’s only operational global ocean model. They oversee a worldwide program to ensure the safety (Navy continued, page 17)

NASA's Stennis Space Center is named for Senator John C. Stennis, a Democrat who represented Mississippi from 1947 to 1989.

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 16 john c. stennis space center

Every day the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) produces a prediction of ocean conditions with highlights of The Navy at Stennis features that will impact all aspects of naval warfare, from Overview: The Navy is the largest fighting piracy to searching for submarines and mines. tenant at John C. Stennis Space NAVOCEANO is the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Center. It plays crucial roles in Command’s largest subordinate, with a team of civilian and oceanography as well as special military personnel. Most are oceanographers, and more than war fare 40 hold doctorates. Major Organizations: Naval Meteorology NAVOCEANO has two subordinate commands, the and Oceanography Command, Naval Oceanographic co-located Fleet Survey Team and the Washington, D.C.-based Office, Naval Research Laboratory detachment, National/Naval Ice Center. Special Boat Team 22, Naval Small Craft Instruction NAVOCEANO provides oceanographic products and and Technical Training School services to all of the Department of Defense and uses Size: Multiple buildings, offices within SSC airborne, surface and subsurface platforms, remote sensing Navy Personnel/Contractors: 2,138* satellites and seaborne buoys to collect data from around Economic Impact: $162 million* the world. Website: www.navmetoccom.navy.mil Global ocean and littoral data gathered with those *Stennis Space Center Economic Impact 2010 platforms are analyzed by NAVOCEANO experts, who use computer models and other techniques to convert the data into products and services to support nearly every type of fleet operation. The products are key to operational and with near real-time environmental analyses of the battlespace tactical decision-making. they face, whether near shore, deep water or in between. The information provided to mission commanders is specific to Battlespace on Demand their mission. Delivering those products directly to warfighters is called A key to all this is providing a means for warfighters in the “Battlespace on Demand,” a shift away from the Cold War field to “reach back” to the oceanography office and tap into model. Back then, much of what oceanographers did involved all its expertise. It’s done in part through placing sailors building databases for strategic level planning, and direct from the Naval Oceanography Operations Command on involvement with warfighters was uncommon. Today it’s more deployed ships. tactically-focused. These on-board experts can “reach back” and tap into NAVOCEANO provides 24-hour support to warfighters a whole room of experts at SSC 24/7 and 365 days a year. White has said that being near other federal agencies at Stennis Space Center helps. There’s a synergy created by having scientific, educational, civilian and military organizations sharing the same facility. The Navy contributes to and benefits from a workforce that is known worldwide as experts in their respective fields. In an age when the nation faces both conventional threats from nations and unconventional threats from terrorists, the Navy at SSC is about as well-positioned as any military organization to be a major player against those potential threats.

The USNS Mary Sears (T-AGS 65), built by VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, Mississippi, is part of the specialized fleet used to survey the world's oceans and coastlines, providing critical information to the nation's warfighters and others. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy

HCDC Communicator • October 2009 • Page 17 the region Camp Shelby: Preparing the Troops

• More than 150,000 troops deployed since 2004 • More than $45 million spent on improvements

The First Army Division East and its 1,250 military and civilian personnel at Camp Shelby say that in the last fiscal year, they trained and deployed 10,000 plus service members and demobilized 6,000 more. Camp Shelby replacement value: $1.2 billion As impressive as those figures are, that’s just part of the story. Since 2004, 150,000 troops deployed from Shelby. M-1A2 Abrams of Tennessee's 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment fires round. For deploying personnel, the camp in Photo courtesy of 278th Public Affairs by SFC Clint Wood DeSoto National Forest is where they begin adjusting to life in Afghanistan and elsewhere, Camp Shelby in August 2011 became the permanent home and where many return. for the 500 member U.S. Army 158th Infantry Brigade, which The 135,000-acre base 12 miles south of Hattiesburg is moved from Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. the training site for National Guard, Reserve and active duty It’s also where the First Army Division East trains and personnel. Maj. Deidre D. Musgrave, public affairs officer at prepares troops. The 177th Armored Brigade and the 158th Camp Shelby and herself an Afghan war veteran, notes the Infantry Brigade conduct training support and operations to numbers keep going up. mobilize, train, deploy and demobilize Reserve Component The 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the Oklahoma forces for combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Horn of Army National Guard recently deployed. Also on the schedule Africa, the Sinai Peninsula and Kosovo. The 188th Infantry are Minnesota’s 1-34th Brigade Combat Team, Ohio’s 37th Brigade periodically travels to Camp Shelby from Fort Infantry Brigade Combat Team and New York’s 27th Infantry Stewart, Ga., to conduct additional training support. Brigade Combat Team. Each has up to 4,000 personnel. There are ranges for machine gun, rifle, pistol, grenade Camp Shelby dates to World War I and has served near launcher, Abrams M1 tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, continuously as a training site. In 1934, Mississippi acquired MRAPs and more, as well as simulators. it as a National Guard summer camp. It reopened in 1940 as a Camp Shelby is a key site for Gulfport’s Combat Readiness federal installation. Training Center, with a bombing range and combat training Camp Shelby in Perry and Forrest counties is north of runway - the 210-acre Shelby Auxiliary Field 1, designed for McHenry, and is a mix of state, Department of Defense and C-17 short-field landings. U.S. Forest Service lands. Since 2004, more than $45 million has been spent for About 3,000 military and civilians pass through the gate on construction, renovation and environmental improvements. any given day. But the number can double or triple. The largest About $8.8 million was a result of damage caused by state-owned training site in the nation, Camp Shelby is home Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and two tornadoes. of the Joint Forces Training Center and can house and train Energy conservation projects alone account for $12 12,000 troops simultaneously. million. Other work at the base includes renovations to the The cantonment area is in the northwest section of the camp, troop medical clinic, base exchange, pavement repair, range which sprawls to the southeast. It has 2.5 million square feet of renovations and more. building space, playing fields, fishing and camp grounds and Camp Shelby’s direct employment impact is 3,700, and more. It has 40 miles of paved road, 300 miles of secondary indirect is 1,221. Direct personal income is $137.1 million, roads, air and rail transportation. Most of the camp, 120,000 and indirect another $27.4 million. acres, is for training.

Camp Shelby is named for Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero and first governor of Kentucky, who also fought in the War of 1812.

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 18 the region Supervisor of Shipbuilding: The Watchdog

• Currently oversees $42 billion in contracts • Covers shipyards from Louisiana to Florida

It has more than 400 employees who oversee the execution of contracts worth billions upon billions of dollars. And their job is two-fold: make sure the Navy gets what it’s paying for, and watch out for the public’s interests. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair Gulf Coast is a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command, which is responsible for engineering, building, buying and maintaining SUPSHIP is co-located with Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. ships, submarines and combat systems for the fleet. Photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries NAVSEA, with 53,000 civilian, military and contract support personnel, is the largest of the Navy’s five in Mobile, Ala. Those two companies combined account for system commands with 33 activities in 16 states. The original nearly 13,000 workers, and Austal ranks as Mobile’s largest NAVSEA dates to 1794 with the construction of a 44-gun industrial employer with more than 2,100 workers. frigate. Commodore John Barry’s task was to ensure the Since 1951, a Navy Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion public’s interest. and Repair has been in Pascagoula to administer ship NAVSEA has four Supervisor of Shipbuilding – SUPSHIPs, construction and repair contracts at private shipyards from pronounced “soup ship” – that operate in the nation’s the Florida Panhandle to the Louisiana border. A similar shipbuilding regions. They are in Bath, Maine, Groton, Conn., organization existed in New Orleans dating to 1942. Newport News, Va., and the Gulf Coast. But in 2003 in a bid to reduce duplication and in support The SUPSHIPs all co-located with major shipbuilders of cost reduction initiatives, the two Gulf Coast SUPSHIPs and are the Navy’s on-site technical, contractual and business were consolidated in Pascagoula. A separate operating location authority. Combined they have more than 1,000 military continues at New Orleans and there are also field offices in and civilian workers. Morgan City, La., Orange, Texas, and Marinette, Wis. SUPSHIPs execute Navy shipbuilding contracts by providing SUPSHIP has overseen construction of a range of vessels, oversight of cost, schedule and quality to ensure high quality from Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) ships to a new line of assault ships are delivered to the fleet. Major programs of SUPSHIP vessels. In addition to the big warships, they are also involved are new construction, nuclear submarines, maintenance/repair/ in overseeing smaller boats built for Special Operations forces. modernization. Capt. Stephen Wayne Mitchell was recently appointed the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair for the Gulf Coast. Previously he was the operations deputy for the Supervisor of organization. Shipbuilding SUPSHIP Gulf Coast is headquartered in Pascagoula, Miss. Conversion & Repair and employs 374 civilian and 30 military personnel. As of Gulf Coast September 2011 it was involved in administering contracts Overview: Oversees the valued at $42.3 billion. execution of shipbuilding contracts Mitchell is responsible for engineering, contract in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and administration and quality assurance of private shipyards in Mississippi. Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. Combined the yards account for more than 50 percent of the Navy’s new Location: Pascagoula, Mississippi, co-located vessels. They also build ships sold to foreign nations. with Ingalls Shipbuilding Personnel: 461 Included in those yards are Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Value of Contracts Overseen: $42.3 billion Miss., part of Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Austal USA

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 19 bases at a glance

National Guard Training Center

Naval Construction Battalion Center Biloxi

Gulfport Keesler Air Force Base

Coast Guard Training Center

Harrison County Military Base Profiles Installation/Activity Branch Location Acres Mission Keesler Air Force Base (site#2, annex) Air Force Biloxi 1,859* technical training; airlift; weather recon, medical Naval Construction Battalion Navy Gulfport 1,169* construction training; mobilization; logistics Trent Lott Readinesss Training Center National Guard Gulfport 267* air combat training; deployment preparation; depot U.S. Coast Guard Station Gulfport Coast Guard Gulfport 6.5 search and rescue; maritime law enforcement * Department of Defense Base Structure Report 2010 Baseline

Personnel Installation/Activity Military Personnel Civilian Students Keesler Air Force Base 8,233 (Includes Students)* 4,095* 20,000 annually Naval Construction Battalion 4,900 900 20,000 annually Trent Lott Readiness Training Center 467 (Military/Civilian) n/a 25,000 training days a month U.S. Coast Guard Station Gulfport 75 n/a n/a * FY 2010 Economic Impact Analysis

Dollars Installation/Activity Operating Budget Payroll Construction Contracts Economic Impact PRV** Keesler Air Force Base (FY2010) $520 million $407 million $73 million $153 million $709 million $2.4 billion Naval Construction Battalion (FY2010) $150 million* $360 million $38 million n/a $365 million $987.9 million Air National Guard (FY2010) $14 million $4.5 million $4.5 million $20 million $50 million $160.1 million Army National Guard (FY2010) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a U.S. Coast Guard Station Gulfport n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a *Includes more than just operating budget ** Plant Replacement Value (DoD Base Structure Report)

Other South Mississippi Bases Installation/Activity Branch Location Acres Personnel Economic Impact PRV Camp Shelby (FY2010) National Guard Hattiesburg 135,000 3,700 $137.1 million payroll $1.2 billion Stennis Space Center (FY2010) NASA Bay St. Louis 139,800 2,138 (Navy/ $162 million n/a Contractors) Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast Navy Pascagoula n/a 461 n/a n/a U.S. Coast Guard Station Pascagoula Coast Guard Pascagoula 437 112 n/a n/a

HCDC Communicator • October 2011 • Page 20