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Mission 3 and the Regional Layer
Regional defense · South Mississippi and the Gulf South. A strategic overview of Mission 3's role as the regional layer connecting South Mississippi's military installations, statewide homeland-security assets, and Gulf South defense collaboration. Public overview below; full reports available to approved members.
South Mississippi has the assets. Mission 3 is the layer that connects them.
$400M+
coastal defense contract spending a year, before shipbuilding
4.1%
of state GDP from defense, tenth in the nation
8
installations across four counties in Mission 3's footprint
1 of 4
Army industry-accessible test ranges nationally: Camp Shelby
Mission 3's Role
South Mississippi's Defense Community Support Organization, a 501(c)(3) created by regional business and civic leadership with the Governor's Office of Military Affairs. It carries installation needs to those who can act, convenes partners on cross-installation issues, and counts results in an annual State of the Defense Community report.
South Mississippi Installations
Eight installations across four counties: Camp Shelby, Keesler AFB, NCBC Gulfport, Stennis Space Center, CRTC Gulfport, two Coast Guard stations, and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. Profiles, commanders, missions, and headline figures are in the South Mississippi and Gulf Coast Military Installation Register (Report A).
Mississippi Statewide
Installations and homeland-security nodes outside the South Mississippi footprint: Columbus AFB, NAS Meridian, Key Field, Joint Force Headquarters, the 172nd Airlift Wing, and more. Commanders, missions, and headline figures are in the Mississippi Statewide Military and Homeland Security Installation Register (Report D, 46 pages).
Gulf South Collaboration
How Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle organize, fund, and advocate for their defense communities, and where Mississippi stands. Defense spending, state defense bodies, grant programs, and installation-by-installation comparisons are in the Gulf South Regional Defense Collaboration Assessment (Report E, 32 pages).
Documents
Six documents, available to approved members (Word, PDF, and Excel): Mission 3 and the Regional Layer: A Strategic Overview (Oct 11, 2026, 13 pp) · South Mississippi & Gulf Coast Military Installation Register, Report A (Oct 8, 2026) · Mississippi Statewide Military & Homeland Security Installation Register, Report D (Oct 11, 2026, 46 pp) · Gulf South Regional Defense Collaboration Assessment, Report E (Oct 11, 2026, 32 pp) · Mission 3: What It Is and What It Does (1 p) · Reference workbook (Excel, 5 tabs). Sign in to download, or request access below.