Air Force Weather: Riding the Wings of Change

Flying Safety, Oct, 2001 by David L. Johnson, Tim Miner

Last year I was placed in charge of a team of dedicated professionals who are committed to YOU. They are the men and women of Air Force Weather who are working hard to bring you the most accurate, up-to-date and operationally relevant weather information for your needs. After spending the last twenty-five year as a customer of weather products, I now lead your weather providers. Air Force Weather has a clear vision an is past the midpoint in completing our r reengineering efforts for the future. As a fellow aviator, I owe you a PIREP on how we are doing.

As you may remember from articles in Flying Safety magazine in 1997 and 1998, Air Force Weather started reengineering in August 1996 with three goals in mind. One, we had to increase the effectiveness of our people during times of shortage. Two, we had to change the infrastructure to create the best weather information in the world. And three, we had to create a delivery capability that would get that information to you anywhere at any time. These three goals are still our targets, and they are the standards we want you and senior Air Force leadership to judge us by. So, where are we in 2001?

First, we had to increase the effectiveness of our people. They are truly out most important resource. When we began our reengineering, we had a shrinking pool of talent, which decreased job satisfaction and caused burnout from higher-than-ever demands on time and skills. We know that human factors issues like these apply to all personnel who make aircraft operations possible, and the play a critical role in aviation safety. As your weather provider, we had to change to be safe and operationally effective.

Effective two years ago, all enlisted weather technicians now come from a revised career track. New recruits first go to their technical training initial skills course at keesler AFB, Mississippi. After graduation, they are assigned to one of our new regionally-oriented Operational Weather Squadrons (OWSs) where they undergo intensive on-the-job training with our most experienced forecasters and meteorologists. Only when they have gained this comprehensive experience with all our weather products and processes will they be assigned as forecasters for your flying unit. We no longer have observers, only weather technicians who have better forecasting skills and tools. Today we have some very good technicians in training at the OWSs who are already the best "new guy" weather resources your unit has ever had--but gaining experience still requires time.

Like you, our weather technicians are tied to the AEF to add capability and decrease burnout. As your weather provider in the "Ops Team," they will deploy when you do. Together, you will make an effective team, and our weather experts will be there for you when you need them.

Second, we had to revamp our infrastructure to produce weather products. Our old ways served us well through the Cold War but had to change to support today's environment and today's missions.

Base weather stations of the past are now a leaner, mission-aligned resource. These Combat Weather Teams (CWT) are staffed entirely with experienced people who are working, in many cases, right in the operational units. Freed from the labor-intensive task of preparing the terminal area forecast, they are there to concentrate on your mission and your needs. They are on the airfield, being the critical eyes forward for our weather forecasting mission. They are in the best position to tailor our wide range of weather information to your specific mission requirements. They are required to work with our regional centers to ensure that you get the most accurate weather information possible.

Our OWSs, the hubs of our forecasting process, are taking on the responsibility of being the primary weather forecaster and your critical weather warning enter for your region, 24 hours a day. When you add the responsibility for the post-initial skills training for our newest weather personnel to the operational forecasting and warning missions, you can see why these units require our most experienced weather technicians. By using a concentration of people, high-tech tools and equipment, our hubs will provide you with the basic weather information to conduct safe and successful aviation operations. All aviators and our forward-deploying CWTs will "reach back" to regional hubs to get the weather information you need.

Our Strategic Centers have the "big picture" level of our weather process. With the creation of the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) at Offutt AFB, we've created a "super center" to collect, analyze and distribute the worldwide observations, pilot reports and other data necessary to model the environment you operate in. Here, we have a very large computing capability working for you. Right now we are also transferring the "space weather" mission from Colorado Springs to AFWA in Omaha. In aviation, no matter what weapon system you fly, you are influenced by space-based weather events. For example, your GPS navigation and your communications capabilities are impacted whenever the sun emits higher energy levels than normal. Your "preflight weather" will soon include "mud to sun" information, and it is the strategic center, working through regional hubs to your local combat weather team, that will make all this possible.