Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, Military training facility in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center is an active military installation belonging to the Mississippi Air National Guard, located near the Gulf of Mexico coast. The site includes a runway built for military aircraft, along with housing, dining areas, and training facilities for the personnel based there.

Gulfport Army Airfield opened on 7 July 1942 under Air Corps Flying Training Command, and from 31 March 1944 the Third Air Force ran replacement training for B-17, B-24 and B-29 crews there. The field was placed in reserve status on 31 January 1946, then declared excess and handed to the City of Gulfport in 1949 for civil airport use. A new lease reopened it as Gulfport Air Force Base on 16 July 1951, headquarters of the Technical Training Air Force.

The center hosts regular deployments of Air National Guard units, and its two tenant Mississippi Air National Guard units are the 255th Air Control Squadron and the 209th Civil Engineer Squadron. The 209th, formed in 1969 as the 173rd Civil Engineering Flight, runs the Rapid Runway Repair site and fire training facility, training 1,600 personnel in its first year.

This is an active military base, so public access is generally restricted and security requirements apply at the entrance. It is a good idea to contact the facility directly before planning any visit to understand what documentation or authorization may be needed.

The base has direct access to a designated airspace over the Gulf of Mexico used specifically for high-speed flight and advanced maneuvers over open water. Training over water like this is relatively uncommon and makes the location particularly valuable for certain types of pilot training.