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A bright, sunny day at work can turn chaotic in an instant with strong winds that can tip vehicles, hail and lightning powerful enough to damage large aircraft.
The only hope of protecting cargo, aircraft and lives rides on the eyes of the watchmen. They are the men and women of the 21st Operational Weather Squadron who tirelessly survey the skies to give foresight hours in advance to prevent major weather damage.
The 21st OWS provides commanders and operators with accurate and timely situational awareness in support of the U.S. Air Force, joint and combined operations across U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command. They are also responsible for round-the-clock weather support across four major locations covering the globe.
“We keep our eyes on the storms,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Poston, 21st OWS regional forecast supervisor. “It’s a very challenging and detail oriented career field, because weather is unpredictable, so we need to be patient to be able to push out adequate information in order to keep the communities safe.”
The OWS is a unique squadron with a Naval Aviation Forecast Detachment embedded to provide forecast support to the numerous naval bases in theater.
“Working alongside the Air Force gives us a larger spectrum of knowledge,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Larry Pacquer, 21st OWS regional forecast supervisor. “By working in a joint environment and coming from different training backgrounds, we have the ability to put multiple eyes on a single problem to see what actions are best for the mission.”
In an emergency situation the OWS has the capability to provide weather warnings, notify local communities and alert airfields in a timely manner.
“In bad weather we give those in danger a 30-hour notice,” Poston said. “The faster we collect data and send it out, the more potential we have to save lives.”
Whether it’s open sky missions or combat operations, the OWS is critical in maintaining the effectiveness of the global Air Force mission. Their support is visible Air Force-wide and helps keep more than 50 thousand personnel informed of expected weather conditions and aid in protecting more than 30 billion dollars worth of DOD assets.
These weather wizards keep an owl’s eye on the sky, continuously watching and waiting for the smallest inkling of a storm to provide global outreach and support to all those in need.
