Air Force Special Operations Weather Technician
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Special Operations Weather Technicians (SOWT) (AFSC 1W0X1C) are tactical observer/forecasters with ground combat capabilities and fall under the 720th Special Tactics Group within the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The mission of a Special Operations Weather Technician is to deploy by the most feasible means available into combat and non-permissive environments to collect and interpret meteorological data and provide air and ground forces commanders with timely, accurate intelligence. They collect data, assist mission planning, generate accurate and mission-tailored target and route forecasts in support of global special operations, conduct special weather reconnaissance and train foreign national forces. SOWTs provide vital intelligence and deploy with joint air and ground forces in support of Direct Action, Counter-terrorism, Foreign Internal Defense, Humanitarian Assistance, Special Reconnaissance, Austere Airfield, and Combat Search and Rescue operations.
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[edit] History
- May 15, 1942 -- Parachute School is established at Fort Benning, Georgia. It is a three-week course students attend en route to their duty assignment.
- June 24, 1942 -- Combat weathermen support the American effort against the Japanese in the China-Burma-India theater of operations.
- June 1944 -- Combat weathermen see action during World War II at Normandy Beach, France; and, in the Netherlands and Yugoslavia.
- June 16, 1966 -- The 10th Weather Squadron is reactivated at Udon Airfield, Thailand, to conduct combat weather operations in Southeast Asia. The squadron is responsible for training indigenous weather personnel and setting up the clandestine weather observation networks throughout Southeast Asia.
- November 1971 -- Personnel from the 10th WS are key players in many successful special operations including the highly weather dependent Son Tay Raid. Timing for the Son Tay Raid was advanced by 24 hours based on the three-day forecast. Weather support personnel successfully forecast the only 12 hours of "go" conditions during a 38-day period.
- October 1983 -- Combat weathermen have directly participated in the majority of modern special operations contingency operations since Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada working with other special operations and conventional forces.
- These recent successes include operations Just Cause in Panama, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Task Force Ranger operations in Somalia, Uphold Democracy in Haiti, operations in Bosnia and counter narcotics operations in South America, as well as ongoing operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
[edit] Training
Special operations weathermen conduct the same technical training as all Air Force weathermen. Unlike other special operations forces, special operations weather only recruits from existing resources within the weather career field. Special operations weather training includes AFSOC's Advanced Skills Training based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., which produces combat ready special tactics operators through an intensive mentoring training philosophy.
Initial Skills U.S. Army Airborne School, Fort Benning, Ga. -- Trainees learn basic parachuting skills required to infiltrate an objective area by static line airdrop in a three-week course.
U.S. Air Force Basic Survival School, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. -- This two and a half-week course teaches basic survival techniques for remote areas. This includes instruction of techniques in survival, evasion and escape.
U.S. Air Force Water Survival School, Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla. -- This one-week course teaches basic water survival techniques.
Initial Skills Training, Hurlburt Field, Fla. -- This unit-level training provides newly assigned weathermen those skills necessary to deploy and operate in permissive and semi-permissive environments. The six-week training includes basic communication, navigation and employment techniques, weapons training and small unit tactics.
Advanced Skills
Air Force Special Operations Command Advanced Skills Training -- Advanced Skills Training employs a "warrior training warrior" philosophy, teaching the skills necessary for successful service in the Special Tactics community. The six-month training school includes advanced communication, navigation techniques, employment techniques, weapons training and small unit tactics.
[edit] Notes
Special Operations Weather Technicians were known as Combat Weathermen until the late 1990s when base weather stations were "redesignated" as Combat Weather Teams (CWT). This caused quite a bit of confusion and prompted the name change from Combat Weatherman to Special Operations Weather Technician. Today's Combat Weather Teams do not provide a ground combat capability.
[edit] See also
- Air Force Special Tactics
- Air Force Weather Agency
- Military meteorology
[edit] External links
- Air Force Link Factsheet: Combat Weathermen - The AF Factsheet is still referring to SOWTs as Combat Weathermen
- National Weather Association's Air Force Weather page - Good explanation of today's CWTs
- Feature on Air Force Link (Dec 2005)
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