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KAPAUN AIR STATION, Germany — The 21st Operational Weather Squadron has been realigned to move from U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa to Air Combat Command.
Due to a restructure in the Air Force Weather Agency, all weather units will fall under the 557th Weather Wing, which will report directly to 12th Air Force and ACC.
The 557th WW provides support for all air operations and mission requirements. It is comprised of both the 1st and 2nd Weather Groups. As a result of the consolidation, the 21st OWS will fall under the 1st WG.
According to Lt. Col. Gerald Sullivan, 21st OWS commander, the change in command structure will not affect the mission of the 21st OWS, and they will continue to provide support for the same units in both Europe and Africa.
“No matter which major command we report to, we are still here to support U.S. European and U.S. Africa Command day in and day out,” Sullivan said.
On any given day, the 21st OWS looks for how the weather may affect the mission in their Area of Responsibility. However, other weather units may analyze weather patterns differently for their AOR. The consolidation of the weather agencies will allow operating procedures to be the same across the command.
“(It is important to be consistent) because the weather is one of those things that you don’t think about, but heavily impacts everyday life,” said 2nd Lt. Melissa Templeton, 21st OWS regional forecaster. “Beyond the daily radio forecasts that you hear, we support every flying unit (in our AOR). We also support our assets here. Weather has an impact on (everything from) how much food you have on your table to the planning of (construction).”
Not only do they issue warnings for pilots, but the 21st OWS acts as a centralized unit for weather dissemination in EUCOM and AFRICOM by sending out watches, advisories and forecasts to weather flights.
The realignment of the AFWA will allow weather units to work on the same page to ensure mission success.
