Several Mississippi National Guard units deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in late February in support of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing American military campaign targeting Iran's military infrastructure, missile capabilities and nuclear ambitions.
The state's adjutant general confirmed the deployment in a March 13 statement, identifying a force that spans aerial refueling, strategic airlift and special operations. The scope of the mobilization makes it one of the most well-rounded National Guard contributions to Epic Fury publicly announced by any single state to date.
"Mississippi's Airmen and Soldiers stand ready to serve wherever they are needed," Maj. Gen. Bobby M. Ginn Jr., the adjutant general of Mississippi, said in the statement. "Supporting this operation highlights the training, commitment and capability that define the Mississippi National Guard."
The Mississippi Guard
The Guard identified the 186th Air Refueling Wing, the 172d Airlift Wing, the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the Special Operations Detachment as the participating units.
The 186th Air Refueling Wing operates from Key Field Air National Guard Base in Meridian, where it flies the KC-135 Stratotanker. The wing provides aerial refueling to U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied aircraft. With more than 1,200 assigned airmen, the 186th is one of the largest military employers in east Mississippi.
The unit traces its roots to the 153d Observation Squadron, one of 29 National Guard observation squadrons stood up before World War II, and converted to its current air refueling mission in 1992. The wing has supported operations worldwide, including Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle.
The 172d Airlift Wing flies the C-17 Globemaster III out of Allen C. Thompson Field in Jackson. The wing's mission centers on strategic and tactical airlift, and in 2003 it became the first Air National Guard unit in the country to receive the C-17. Since then, the 172d has flown combat airlift missions, weekly aeromedical evacuations and disaster relief operations, including the response to Hurricane Katrina.
In July 2025, the wing conducted Operation Magnolia Knight, a large-scale readiness exercise across Jackson and Gulfport designed to sharpen its ability to generate combat-ready airlift on short notice.
The 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) is headquartered at the North West Street Armory in Jackson and maintains a detachment at Camp McCain near Elliott. The battalion falls under the 20th SFG based in Birmingham, Alabama, one of only two Special Forces groups in the Army National Guard.
According to the Mississippi National Guard, the battalion's soldiers are "unique professionals with an unconventional method for waging war and an innovative approach to winning."
The Special Operations Detachment provides command and control for Guard special operations elements during overseas deployments.
A Long Track Record
The deployment continues a high operational tempo that has defined the Mississippi National Guard for more than two decades. During the Global War on Terror, the state mobilized more than 10,000 service members with every deployable unit participating in Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom or New Dawn.
The 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, one of the state's largest ground units, deployed to Iraq in 2005 and again in 2009 before rotating to Kuwait in 2018. The 2-20th SFG sent Green Berets to Afghanistan repeatedly during the same period.
This new deployment comes only months after Mississippi sent approximately 2,700 Guard members to Washington, D.C., in support of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission. The 186th Air Refueling Wing also welcomed home more than 100 airmen in September 2025 after a deployment to the Indo-Pacific region
Other states have publicly confirmed Guard contributions to Epic Fury, including Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers operating in Kuwait and Iraq and Air National Guard fighter units from Vermont and Virginia. But few individual states have announced a deployment that simultaneously covers aerial refueling, strategic airlift and special operations the way Mississippi's does.
Gov. Tate Reeves expressed his support for the departing service members and their families.
"Mississippi is praying for the brave members of the Mississippi National Guard and all U.S. Service Members who have been deployed as part of Operation Epic Fury," Reeves said. "Our state's guardsmen are truly the best of the best, and Mississippi will always be grateful to them and their families for courageously defending our nation."
For communities in Meridian, Jackson and across the state, the mobilization carries a weight familiar to any Guard-connected family. The majority of personnel in units like the 186th and 172d are traditional guardsmen who drill part time while holding civilian jobs and raising families in the same towns where they serve.
The Mississippi National Guard has not disclosed the total number of personnel involved or their specific locations within the CENTCOM area of operations.
