Officer cadets from the United States Coast Guard Academy who are pursuing aviation careers also train at ATC.

The operations department, flies the HC-144B Ocean Sentry, which is a segment within the ATC command that conducts search and rescue, homeland security, and environmental protection missions.

The Coast Guard was forced to look at another location after military leaders had thoughts on drastically reducing, or eliminating, the flight activities at Keesler.

The Coast Guard formally commissioned the Aviation Training Center in 1966 on the 232-acre site located at the north end of Mobile Regional Airport (known as Bates Field or Mobile Municipal Airport at that time) that was left vacant when the 908th Tactical Airlift Group of the U.S. Air Force Reserve relocated to Brookley Air Force Base due to budget constraints.

If the applicant is accepted, they are assigned to Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, where the Coast Guard Aviation Liaison Officer coordinates their training.

This specially trained unit was created in 1973 as a result of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, and is tasked with responding to natural and man-made pollution and hazard incidents such as oil discharge, hazardous materials released, weapons of mass destruction, and vessel salvage operations.