WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Representative Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., today announced that the U.S. Air Force will assign 122 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES) personnel to Keesler Air Force Base.

The squadron personnel, 40 officers and 82 enlisted, will bring a new facet to the Air Force missions stationed at Keesler. No aircraft are associated with the move. The personnel transfer is expected to meet full operational capacity this fall.

“This is positive news for the future success of Keesler Air Force Base,” said Wicker, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. “The addition of this squadron will benefit the base’s overall mission and its position as a premier center of excellence for Air Force medical training. I want to welcome all new AES personnel to the Gulf Coast.”

“Evacuation squadrons play an important role in our national security and in saving the lives of wounded servicemen and women,” said Cochran, chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “I’m pleased with the decision to station these men and women at Keesler, which is one of our best Air Force bases.”

“I’m pleased to see that the Air Force is continuing to recognize the strong capabilities of Keesler Air Force Base. The medical staff and facilities at Keesler have a natural synergy with the aeromedical squadron and I feel certain this will be a good fit, as does the Air Force,” Palazzo said.

As part of Air Mobility Command, AES personnel are responsible for carrying out time-sensitive critical care transport to support military operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster response. The personnel being assigned to Keesler will include five Air Reserve Technicians and 117 traditional Reservists.

Kessler is home to the 81st Medical Group, which operates the second largest medical center in the Air Force.