South MS lands funding for state’s first regional push to boost military economy
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mississippi launches Mission 3, a public-private group to support military installations.
- The Gulf Coast Business Council received a $325,000 grant to start Mission 3.
- Mission 3 will link military, defense and community in South Mississippi.
South Mississippi is forming the state’s first regional organization designed to support defense and military installations, a move business leaders say is long overdue in a region that relies economically on military spending.
Gov. Tate Reeves on Thursday announced the creation of a public-private partnership known as Mission 3, which stands for military, defense and community. The nonprofit has hired its first director, Col. Paul Drake, who retired in 2022 from the U.S. Army War College and has an extensive background in the military.
“Mississippi is the most military friendly state in all of America,” Reeves told a crowd gathered in Biloxi for his midday news conference during an aerospace defense gathering at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi. “Our state’s military and defense communities are worthy of appreciation, support and, yes, investment,” he said.
The governor’s announcement followed an early morning meeting in Gulfport, where members of the Gulf Coast Business Council’s Master Leadership Program presented a paper on the need for Mission 3. The group’s research included visits to other regions with successful strategies for enhancing their military installations and related business.
“We have an incredible opportunity in front of us,” said Sen. Scott Delano, who pushed to secure a $325,000 grant from the Legislature in 2024 for a statewide military support program. “It is an extremely competitive marketplace.”
Gulf Coast Business Council secures funding
The Gulf Coast Business Council applied for and secured the grant funds in May. The $325,000 will give Mission 3 two years to organize and become a standalone organization after its start under GCBC.
“We’re behind,” Leo Manuel, a presenter for the Master’s Leadership Program, told GCBC members at the early meeting. “We can catch up. It’s not insurmountable. But there are regions that are highly organized and have been for decades.”
Manuel highlighted two community nonprofits that support their military and that the Coast leadership group visited: The Alliance for Fort Eisenhower, established in 2003 in Augusta, Georgia, and the 21st Century Partnership, established in 1993 to support Robins Air Force Base when the federal government was studying what military bases could be closed. Robins Air Force Base, which was on the closure list, survived and gained missions, according to the 21st Century group.
Mission 3 will be supporting numerous installations in South Mississippi, from Camp Shelby outside Hattiesburg to Coast installations that include Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, the Naval Construction Battalion Center and Combat Readiness Training Center, both in Gulfport, and the U.S. Coast Guard, which has stations in Gulfport and Pascagoula.
Military mission enhances South MS economy
Mission 3 will work with military commanders, state and local politicians and community leaders to bring more military missions — and business to the Coast.
Military spending would not only enhance the economy but improve the workforce. South Mississippi already has in place workforce training programs that can be expanded. Military commanders also would like to place their talented retirees in good private-sector jobs, but don’t have time to focus on the effort. Mission 3 will be involved with workforce development and placement.
“The military can be a massive talent pipeline to our industry here,” Manuel said.
The Cyber Center being developed at Keesler Air Force Base, which Delano also championed, is a good example of how a military mission can bring in more business, attracting cyber companies involved in the field.
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 12:11 PM.
