Laboratory Information:
Air Force Weather Agency
HQ AFWA/DN
106 Peacekeeper Drive
Suite 2N3
Offutt AFB, NE 68113-4039
Website: http://www.afweather.af.mil/
Agency/Department: Dept. of Defense - Air Force
Region: Mid-Continent
FLC Laboratory Representative:
No Lab Representative at this time.
Background/History of the Laboratory:
Air Force Weather Agency is a field operating
agency of the Headquarters U.S. Air Force Office of the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Weather Directorate (AF/XOW). It was formed October 15,
1997, and
is located at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. The agency is the Department of Defense's Meterorological
Satellite
Center of Excellence. AFWA traces its heritage to the organization of the Meteorological Service of
the Signal
Corps during World War I. On July 1, 1937, the Secretary of War transferred responsibility for weather
services
to the Army Air Corps. The official lineage of AFWA began April 14, 1943, when the Army Air Forces organized
and activated the Weather Wing, which quickly established itself at Asheville, N.C. In 1945, the Army
Air Forces
redesignated the Weather Wing the Army Air Forces Weather Service and in early 1946, the service moved
to
Langley Field, Va. On March 13, 1946, it was redesignated the Air Weather Service and assigned to the
Air
Transport Command, followed soon thereafter with a move to Gravelly Point, Va. With the formation of
the
United States Air Force in 1947, Air Weather Service assumed the responsibility of worldwide weather
reporting
and forecasting for both the Air Force and the Army. In 1948, Air Weather Service moved to Andrews Air
Force
Base, Md., and was assigned to the newly activated Military Air Transport Service, which was later redesignated
Military Airlift Command. Air Weather Service relocated to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., in 1958, where
it remained
for nearly four decades. The Air Force designated Air Weather Service a field operating agency and re-assigned
it to Headquarters United States Air Force in 1991. On Oct. 15, 1997, Air Weather Service was redesignated
the
Air Force Weather Agency and relocated to Offutt AFB, Neb.
Mission of the Laboratory:
The Air Force Weather Agency mission is
to maximize our nation's aerospace and ground combat effectiveness by
providing accurate, relevant and timely air and space weather information to Department of Defense,
coalition, and
national users, and by providing standardized training and equipment to Air Force Weather.
Technology Areas of Expertise:
- Air and space environmental intelligence
- Weather communications systems
- Weather system logistics and configuration
- Meteorological data analysis
- Climatology
