Wicker gives updates on KC-46, defense spending at Air and Space Force Association
Published 1:04 pm Monday, June 2, 2025
Meridian’s history as the birthplace of aerial refueling should count in its favor as it looks to host the next generation of tanker aircraft used by The Mississippi Air National Guard 186th Air Refueling Wing, Sen. Roger Wicker said Thursday.
Addressing the G.V. Sonny Montgomery chapter of the Air and Space Force Association, Wicker said he, along with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Rep. Michael Guest and Rep. Trent Kelly, are continuing to push for the 186th ARW as a host site for the new aircraft. Currently, the 186th ARW uses KC-135 tankers to refuel military aircraft around the globe. The planes, while reliable, are ready to be retired with the newest of the fleet at roughly 60 years old.
“I, along with Senator Hyde-Smith and Congressmen Michael Guest and Trent Kelly are going to do the best we can to bring the KC-46 to Meridian. 1971, I was in ROTC, and I’m at field training at Grissom Air Force Base. In 1972, we had dinner with Al Key, mayor of Meridian,” he said. “His brother Fred had set the record – 27 days in air flight without ever landing. Let me tell you, folks, we invented air refueling in Meridian, Mississippi, and I think that ought to give us a leg up for the KC-46.”
While at Grissom Air Force Base, Wicker said, one of the aircraft he flew on was the KC-135.
Millions of both state and federal funding has been directed to the 186th ARW at Key Field for upgrades and modifications to improve the installation’s readiness to accept the new aircraft. That includes $6.7 million for the design and planning of a corrosion controlled hangar, $1.9 million to plan and design and supply warehouse, $5.6 to plan and design a maintenance hangar, funding for a new fire station and more.
“I will tell you, I don’t know whether we’re going to get the KC-46s in Meridian or not, but it will not be for the lack of trying on our part,” he said.
As the 186th ARW works to update its facilities, so too should the rest of the U.S. Armed Forces, Wicker said. In a May 2024 defense spending plan, he laid out a pathway to increase investment in the nation’s defense to 5% of the gross domestic product. On Thursday, he said, the only way to assure peace is to be too strong for any other country to want to take on.
“There has never been a war started against a country because that country was too strong,” he said. “Wars start because the victim country is not strong enough, and I am determined, and this majority, this small majority we have in the House and Senate and the administration, we are determined to get us back to the point where we are so strong that we never have to send these people into combat.”
One part of that effort is funding included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the House and being considered by the Senate to begin building the “golden dome,” Wicker said. The golden dome, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome, is a missile defense system capable of protecting the entire country from incoming enemy missile attacks. With multiple anti-American nations with weapons able to reach the continental United States, he said the benefits outweigh the cost.
“It’s going to be expensive, but I think we have to do this, and we’ve got the technology to do that,” he said. “North Korea can get a missile to the continental United States right now. China can get a missile to the United States right now, and Russia can. We need that protection.”
As chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, a position not held by a Mississippian since John C. Stennis, Wicker said the nation needs to be ready to defend itself against what he calls the “Axis of Aggressors,” which is made up of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. While China, Russia and North Korea already have nuclear weapons, he said he is committed to making sure Iran never does.
“I absolutely stand with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu that our policy should firmly be: Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Iran hates the United States. They hate the West, they hate democracies, and their aim is to destroy us. They don’t get a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Claims the efforts to enrich uranium are for peaceful intentions should not be believed, Wicker said, and the actions Iran is taking cannot be interpreted in a way other than to create a nuclear weapon.
The annual Air and Space Force Association meeting also serves to recognize outstanding airmen of the year. Airmen are chosen by their unit for their efforts and contributions both at home and on deployment.
This year’s winners include:
— Senior Airman Miller D. Rebeles, Outstanding Airman of the Year
— Tech Sgt. Zachery D. Wilkerson, Outstanding Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year
— Master Sgt. Mark A. Gregory, Outstanding Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year
— Master Sgt. Justin R. Hall, First Sergeant of the Year
— Master Sgt. William A. Smith, Chief Master Sergeant Wayne Benthall Leadership Award
— Master Sgt. LinCharles Pippins, G.V. Sonny Montgomery Patriot Leadership Award
Langford Knight, president of the G.V. Sonny Montgomery chapter of the Air and Space Force Association, said the group also selects a teacher of the year from among local STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — teachers. This year’s teacher of the year is Jaimee Childs from Neshoba Central, he said.
“She teaches a STEM class that is selective. You’ve got to be nominated by teachers and selected and approved by the administration to go to this class,” he said. “It’s a high school engineering class. The hour and a half that I watched, they were doing mechanical engineering drawings.”
Knight said Childs’ students also work on design, robotics, 3D printing, coding, electronics and more. Childs also partnered with a nearby adult daycare where her students designed and built custom devices to make everyday tasks easier for those at the facility.
“She teaches her students to dream big, and I can see her students designing the next generation of fighters or designing the glass cockpit for the next tanker or fighter,” he said.
As Teacher of the Year, Childs received $250 from the Air and Space Force Association chapter to use in the classroom, Knight said. However, she was also selected as the state Teacher of the Year which comes with an additional $500.
“I’ve met some impressive teachers over the years doing this, and I love going to their classes. You never know what you’re going to see,” Knight said. “But I’m telling you, very impressive.”
