Hometown Tour: Keesler Air Force Base

Whether in the classroom, or in the cockpit, instructors at Keesler Air Force Base are constantly refining their training.

“So we're providing more relevant and applicable training to the airmen going out in the field,” says Lieutenant Colonel Ray “Skip” Adams. He’s the Deputy Group Commander for the 81st Training Group. At any given time Keesler's technical training side has 1,300 instructors and developers along with 2,900 students learning about things like air combat, weather operations or cyber command and communications.

“To be able to support our ability to operate and maintain, sustain exploit and defend the cyber domain,” says Lt. Col. Adams. Above all else, the training at Keesler is meant to sustain a combat ready military.

“About 80 to 120 roll into us every week and we're establishing a foundation for these airmen that are coming in,” says Adams. The Keesler staff also prides itself on its diversity.

“On Keesler you're going to see navy personnel, army personnel Marine Corps even international students and we've been training international students here since the 1940s,” says Adams.
Course developers constantly work to update and modernize different training courses.

“We have various sources that we utilize depending upon what course it is, every course has subject matter experts,” says Master Sergeant Sharon Utsey. It's all in an effort to uphold the Air Force's creed to fly fight and win. You can learn more about the men and women of Keesler by watching our live broadcast from the AFB in Biloxi. That’s tonight at 6pm.

Reporter’s note: the video clips in the web story from 0:17 - 0:38 were provided by the public affairs office at Keesler Air Force Base.