Operationalizing weather provides decision advantage in a domain where the variables are constantly changing.
You can’t control the weather, but you can understand it and use it to gain strategic advantage.
VISION
Present modern, combat-ready, AGOW Airmen ready to deploy, fight and integrate accurate and relevant weather and environmental information to the joint force and succeed in the near-peer, contested environments.
MISSION
Deliberately train, equip, and modernize Weather Airmen to successfully measure, communicate, and integrate weather information within tactical, contested environments.
WHO WE ARE
Combat Weather Airmen are members of the 93 AGOW trained and ready to provide accurate weather information to Joint Forces in direct contact with enemy forces across the globe. While our primary training focus is on environmental awareness and their warfighting impacts, our additional training focus on move/shoot/communicate skills, day/land navigation, and tactical combat casualty care continues our legacy of Multi-Capable Airmen excellence over the past 20 years. Combat Weather Airmen train to ensure they are as effective on the battlefield as their Airmen and Soldier counterparts.
WHAT WE DO
Combat Weather Airmen measure, analyze, and predict meteorological and other environmental information (i.e. Space, Hydrologic, Trafficability) that is tailored to specific missions and communicates the effects weather will have on friendly and enemy forces and their respective operations. These accurate, tailored predictions enable supported commanders to exploit weather conditions to gain tactical advantage and reduce risk from adverse weather effects.
WHERE WE ARE
Combat Weather Airmen are stationed at 19 US Army and US Air Force bases to provide direct weather support to Army maneuver and aviation units at the Corps, Division, Brigade, and Battalion level. They provide this support while constantly forward deployed across the globe to integrate with supported AF and Army units and allow Commanders at all echelons to exploit environmental conditions to their advantage and increase success in high-threat, rapid-tempo, contingency environments. When not deployed, Combat Weather Airmen continuously train in garrison and in field environments while providing continuous watch for severe weather impacts to Soldiers and their equipment.
HOW WE TRAIN
Combat Weather Airmen train to maneuver and sense environmental conditions outside-the-wire at the tactical edge, and communicate this information to CFACC, CFLCC, and decision makers across the battlefield to exploit environmental conditions and fuel decision advantage in environments with highly variable atmospheric and ground conditions.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Combat Weather Airmen are continuously modernizing to help joint forces combat and defeat a near-peer enemy by seeking, experimenting, and fielding innovation solutions to overcome data sparsity and communication disruptions. This innovation occurs during continuous field experimentation with our Army and Air Force counterparts in various tactical exercises.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US
Aligning the 5th CWG with the Air Force’s AFFORGEN model to enhance flexibility and become customer-agnostic, expand capabilities, and be tailorable to the entire joint force.
Participating in more Air Force exercises to demonstrate the applicability of forward-based weather elements and the benefits that accurate, real-time data brings to operations.
Equipping and modernizing Army weather support capabilities to leverage automation to maximize Staff Weather Officer training and integration.
Supporting Airmen’s resilience and professional development to instill Air Force skillsets, priorities and doctrine while maintaining the ability to operate in austere, field environments.
Integrating non-weather professionals to enhance support infrastructure in the 5th CWG which enables combat weather professionals to focus on the skillsets needed to provide environmental sensing and meteorological support to operations.