Media related to 172d Airlift Wing (Mississippi Air National Guard) at Wikimedia Commons The 172nd Airlift Wing operates the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, and has participated in an all-volunteer partial activation since 2005, flying weekly missions to return wounded patients of the military safely back to the United States.

On 12 July 1986 the group returned to the strategic airlift role when the first Lockheed C-141B Starlifter to be released from active-duty Air Force control was assigned.

In March 1988 the 172nd took part in the airlift of approximately 3200 troops and almost 1000 tons of cargo on an exercise to Palmerola Air Base, Honduras.

From 20 December 1989 to 12 January 1990 the 172nd flew 21 sorties in support of Operation Just Cause, the incursion into Panama to replace Manuel Noriega as ruler.

In October 2000 after the USS Cole bombing in Aden, seventeen members of the 172nd deployed to Ramstein Air Base Germany.

Members of the 183rd Aeromedical Evacuation and 183rd Airlift Squadrons picked up four sailors from Ramstein and flew them home to Norfolk Naval Station.