{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-key-field-officially-running-kc-46-selection", "ICYMI: Key Field is Officially in the Running for KC-46 Selection", "2024-09-27", "2024", "2024-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Michael Guest", "G000591", "guest.house.gov", "guest", "https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 The U.S Air Force notified Mississippi\u2019s Congressional Delegation that Key Field in Meridian is officially in the running to be the future home of the new KC-46 aircraft. The nation-wide candidate field has been narrowed to seven, in what is called a \u201cdown-selection.\u201d\n\nMississippi\u2019s Congressional Delegation has worked for years to make sure Key Field, an Air National Guard Base, is seen as a strong candidate for the selection.\n\n\u201cThe 186th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) in Meridian is a leader in aerial refueling, and I am pleased that Key Field Air National Guard Base is one of seven sites that is advancing in the KC-46A basing decision process,\u201d said Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03). \u201cI am grateful for the unity of our entire Mississippi Congressional Delegation\u2014Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Representatives Bennie Thompson, Trent Kelly, and Mike Ezell\u2014as well as the support of our State and local leadership for this effort. I appreciate the Air Force\u2019s consideration of Key Field and look forward to the opportunity to showcase the 186th ARW\u2019s capabilities as we move into the next phase of this decision.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaking it this far in the down-selection process is an accomplishment. If Key Field is ultimately chosen, it would cement and extend the base\u2019s role in our country\u2019s national security infrastructure for decades to come,\u201d U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said. \u201cFor the Meridian community, this would be a significant investment. It would bring more service members and families, as well as direct and indirect jobs, to the area. This is one of my top priorities.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe welcome this positive development for the future of Key Field and Lauderdale County. As the process moves forward, we will continue to forcefully make the case that Key Field will be the best place for this important mission,\u201d Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., said.\n\nKey factors that have made Key Field a potential home for the KC-46s, a military refueling and strategic transport plane:\n\nKey Field is already home to KC-135 planes, which are air refueling tankers that provide rapid global mobility and combat support to the U.S. Department of Defense. The 186th Air Refueling Wing (ARW), which hosts over 1,200 officers and airmen, operates these planes out of Key Field. The KC-46s would replace the aging KC-135 tankers currently in service at Key Field.\n\nThe 186th ARW is one of the few military installations that can handle the new plane without needing to make major changes to a base.\n\nThe airfield is in a prime location in the vicinity of refueling tracks over the Southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico, enabling rapid servicing of Air Force and joint service aircraft fleets, including strategic communications aircraft.\n\nThe Meridian community already has infrastructure and support services in place that will benefit next generation air refueling capabilities.", 1, "2026-05-28T06:29:45Z", "2026-05-28T06:31:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-key-field-officially-running-kc-46-selection"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6500488854944706, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}