NOAA

By Bernard S. Little

WRNMMC Command Communications

The Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) at Walter Reed, a Medical Board Division of Patient Administration (PAD), has consistently ranked high for its accuracy, consistency, and duty performance metrics when audited by an independent reviewer.

IDES is a joint initiative by the Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) that seeks to make the disability evaluation process “seamless, simple, fast and fair,” according to officials at the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

“Under this system, which is a collaborative process, VA-appointed providers perform compensation and pension (C&P) exams to VA standards for disability rating determination, and DOD providers document retention eligibility based on administrative review of existing medical records and C&P exam findings,” explained Dr. Mario F. Golle, Jr., IDES director at Walter Reed.

In addition to working to reduce the overall time it takes for service members to progress through the IDES process, other goals for the system include use of a single examination process that meets the needs of both VA and DOD. Golle said this process enhances the transparency of both the military disability evaluation system (DES) and VA claims processes for wounded, ill, and injured service members.

He added that the DOD’s IDES Quality Assurance Program (QAP) looks to standardize requirements for the military DES, as well as monitor decisions of Medical Evaluation Boards (MEBs) and Physical Evaluation Boards (PEBs). In addition, the QAP works to ensure that MEBs, PEBs, and Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officers (PEBLOs) properly perform their duties.

The QAP MEB audit report provides a consolidated quarterly update on the performance of the respective services – Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force – in the National Capital Region (NCR) from monthly audits of all individual military medical treatment facilities (MTFs), according to Golle.

“The monthly report provides detailed findings regarding the QAP audit of NCR cases, looking at common challenges or best practices, and recommendations for consideration. The standard goal is 90 percent for accuracy, consistency, and duty performance metrics. Walter Reed MEB Division has consistently exceeded all metrics, scoring 100 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2022,” Golle shared.

“From the report, the NCR Medical Evaluation Board Case Review (MCR) accuracy and consistency quality scores for IDES were once again perfect in the fourth quarter of FY 22; the MCR accuracy remains at 100 percent; and the MCR consistency has been at or near 100 percent since the third quarter of FY 2018,” Golle said. “The NCR [Market] (Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir, Virginia) has consistently taken the lead and maintained such scores since QAPs inception in July of 2017, for the past 21 quarters, always outperforming all other services,” he added.

“Walter Reed’s IDES team is comprised of civilian personnel who work tirelessly and seamlessly to guide service members through the [Integrated Disability Evaluation System] process. PEBLOs guide service members through the entire IDES process to ensure they are aware of their options and the many decisions they, or their families, need to make. The MEB physicians are responsible for coordinating medical information into a coherent package that enables the Physical Disability Agencies to determine whether a service member is fit for continued service in the military,” Golle shared.

“Our IDES office is designated to process boards by geographic locations. We hold medical boards for all Soldiers, Sailors and Marines assigned to Walter Reed. This includes Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, other organizations on the Naval Support Activity Bethesda campus, and other local Army members in Maryland and the District of Columbia. The MEB Division at Walter Reed also manages MEBs for all Sailors and Marines assigned to Fort Meade [Maryland] and those assigned to Joint Base Anacostia Bolling [D.C.], Joint Base Andrews [Maryland], Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall [Virginia], and Fort McNair [D.C.],” Golle continued.

“WRNMMC’s MEB Division also assists other MTFs with tele-NARSUMs (Narrative Summaries) when facilities have staff shortages and are unable to meet timelines. In addition, the division covers all National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) MEBs, provides administrative assistance to the Coast Guard MEBs and PEBs, and maintains a webpage to assist clinics as a one-stop resource for procedures, contact information, and forms for Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and Air Force MEB referrals,” Golle said.

Members of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) gave a presentation to emergency managers from various government organizations throughout South Louisiana and Mississippi at the Lakefront Airport in New Orleans, La., during their Hurricane Awareness Tour (HAT) May 2, 2023, to showcase the services they offer during hurricane season and throughout the year.

Col. Cullen Jones, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District commander, and several district staff and Emergency Operation Center personnel, attended the meeting to learn the latest tracking information and other services offered by the NHC, and to meet with emergency management staff from other organizations.

During the HAT, members of the U.S. Air Force Reserve “Hurricane Hunters” and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration visited the New Orleans Lakefront Airport to promote hurricane awareness prior to this year’s hurricane season.

The Hurricane Hunters fly into storm systems in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico gathering storm data, which the National Hurricane Center (NHC) uses in its storm forecasting models to help determine what areas hurricanes and other systems may affect. The aircraft the Hurricane Hunters use to fly into weather systems is the WC-130J aircraft, while NOAA flies the WP-3D Orion to gather weather information.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, is dedicated to playing its part in helping to promote hurricane awareness and partner with various federal, state, and local partners as the 2023 hurricane season draws near.

For more information on how to prepare for this year’s upcoming hurricane season, visit getagameplan.org.

As summer comes to the Atlantic, hurricane season comes with it. Navy installations throughout the Naval District Washington (NDW) region will get a head start on any potential hurricane or severe storm activity in coming weeks during Hurricane Exercise/Citadel Gale (HURREX/CG), an annual exercise that runs April 24-May 5 and trains participants in all aspects of hurricane response and recovery.

“Personnel will be securing facilities and ensuring service members, civilians, and their families are prepared for the onset of adverse weather conditions,” said Matthew Brown, the NDW planner for HURREX/CG. “Recovery for our missions, families, and operations after the storm passes are what we are aiming to improve every year.”

Hurricane season runs in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico from June 1 to November 30, with peak months in August to October, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

HURREX/CG gives Navy installations advance preparation. Participants will train in accounting for personnel and their family members, conducting evacuations, assisting those who are injured or displaced, protecting buildings from winds and flooding, and restoring operations post-storm.

In the first week, participants will also train in tracking hurricane activity along the U.S. Atlantic coast, simulating upgrades to the Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness (TCCOR), and implementing base safety procedures in response to each TCCOR upgrade. They will shift in the second week to focusing on procedures for recovery, including lifting evacuation orders, reopening installations, and conducting damage assessments.

Brown’s office (N36) is responsible for executing HURREX/CG. It plans the exercise in coordination with installation training officers, Navy emergency preparedness officers, and the Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC).

“The NDW N36 team has worked hard to provide a realistic exercise to challenge our personnel to prepare them for real-world disasters,” Brown said.

This year, there will be an additional partner: Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (JTF-NCR), which will observe the exercises and receive reports on their outcomes. Brown said that JTF-NCR would be a source of assistance in an actual hurricane and that N36 anticipates inviting the regional command to play an expanded role in HURREX/CG in future years.

“We will certainly be working with JTF-NCR during real-world incidents. We plan on growing this relationship moving forward,” Brown said.

The Navy Family Accountability Assessment System (NFAAS), which stores emergency-contact information for Sailors, civilian employees, and their family members, is another key element of hurricane preparedness. All Sailors and civilian employees must enter their information on NFAAS and update it yearly so that the command can account for each of them during an emergency such as a hurricane.

To access NFAAS, please visit https://navyfamily.navy.mil/cas/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Fnavyfamily.navy.mil%2F.

The FFSCs are also key partners in HURREX/CG. During a hurricane or other emergency, commanding officers can authorize the FFSCs to open Emergency Family Assistance Centers (EFAC) that offer emergency-specific aid and outreach, such as medical referrals or information on where to find shelter.

“The EFAC is going to be that central point for everyone to go to and everyone to get access for referrals. It could be as simple as ‘I need to know where to evacuate to’ or it could be ‘A tree fell through my living room,’” said Tiffany Croshaw, an emergency management specialist with NDW Fleet and Family Readiness (N9). “We give them the referrals to help them move past the destruction, move past the damage, and get back to a sense of normalcy.”

A person seeking assistance from EFAC can complete a Needs Assessment, on which they list their contact information and specify what type of help they need. The form lists 19 categories of needed help, such as medical assistance, missing persons, and housing assistance, among others.

Croshaw said that the form is available in electronic form on the EFAC website—the website, like the EFAC itself, is only active during emergencies—or in paper form at the EFAC office. She said that once a Needs Assessment is submitted, the EFAC opens a case and routes the form to emergency case managers at the installation FFSCs, who then reach out to the impacted families to provide support.

“These needs assessments are so important. The families put everything they need help with on the form, and that’s how we’re going to give them long-term assistance,” she said.

Rebeca Baker, Fleet and Family Readiness (N9) program analyst, said that the NDW region’s six installation-level FFSCs will also band together to serve as a region-wide EFAC in the event of a hurricane or other large-scale disaster. She said that they will all “exercise EFACs, both virtually and in person,” during this year’s HURREX/CG.

Baker said that this year’s HURREX/CG will put more focus than past years’ exercises on “post-disaster recovery,” which includes helping those who have been impacted and restoring communities and installations to normal life as quickly as possible. She said that the FFSCs will prepare to spring into action, if needed, to facilitate a return to a stable, mission-ready status throughout the region.

“We want to make sure that the EFACs are ready to make decisions in a real-world emergency and to make referrals to people who need them,” she said. “We provide families with contact to the Red Cross, to FEMA, to all of these organizations that can offer them any needed assistance.”

For more NDW information, please visit www.facebook.com/NavDistWash, https://www.instagram.com/navdistwash/, https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/ndw.html.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 31, 2023) Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (VP) 30 held the Navy’s final graduation of P-3 Orion aircraft pilots and Naval Flight Officers (NFO), March 31.

The final graduating class was comprised of eight students, four pilots and four NFOs, all of whom are slated to move on to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 1 and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 30.

“Receiving this training is an extremely unique opportunity, and I am excited to be able to fly and be a part of the great work that VQ-1 will be accomplishing.,” said Lt. j.g. Andrew Bishop, VP 30 student pilot, from Warrenton, Va.. “Hopefully, I will be able to bring my knowledge and flying experience to positively influence the future of Naval aviation.”

Also graduating from the final class were pilots, Lt. j.g. Brandan Breen, Lt. j.g. Garrett Reese, Lt. j.g. Thomas Roth and NFOs, Lt. j.g. Gavin Beaver, Lt. j.g. Michael Lapio, Lt. j.g. Kelly Larkin and Lt. j.g. David Ray.

The multifaceted evolution of training aviators for the P-3C Orion Platform has been rooted in promoting safety and proficiency for all.

“Our P-3 pilot training program has undoubtedly instilled more confidence, readiness, and safety in the P-3 fleet squadron’s pilots,” said Lt. Terry Tran, VP 30 pilot and instructor from Westminster, Calif. ”I have had the privilege to train and lead over 60 student pilots at VP-30. I have trained and led 25 classes of P-3C Pilots, ranging from Category One students, or first tour pilots to Category Five students, or prospective commanding and executive officers.”

Although the Navy is moving away from the platform, numerous institutions will still use variations of the aircraft.

“The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency operates them to protect and enforce our borders,” said Tran. “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses heavily modified P-3s to hunt and monitor hurricanes. NASA also uses the P-3C platform as an airborne science laboratory, supporting scientific studies all over the globe.”

VP-30’s mission is to provide P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) specific training to pilots, Naval Flight Officers, and enlisted aircrew prior to reporting to the Fleet.

-VP30-

TINIAN, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (March 23, 2023) – Bubbling under the waters at the Port of Tinian, a team of Sailors from Underwater Construction Team (UCT) Two could be seen welding zinc anodes to the north quay wall earlier this year. UCT Two’s repair work was part of an ongoing series of improvements to Tinian’s harbor.

The dual-use port is the key supply gateway for the residents of Tinian and supports military operations in the region. The U.S. Navy built the port in the 1940s and it has been subject to the effects of constant exposure to the elements. In 2018, detailed infrastructure assessments by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated the port was suffering from significant corrosion. Improvements have been underway since 2020. These improvements included the repair of crumbling bollards and resurfacing aging concrete. When it came time to conduct underwater construction repairs, a team of specialists was brought in: UCT Two.

UCT Two, under Navy Expeditionary Forces Command Pacific Task Force 75 (CTF 75), is a specialized group of U.S. Navy divers who provide responsive military capabilities for underwater and waterfront engineering, construction, and repair in support of Navy and Marine Corps operations.

UCT Two sent three different detachments to work on the project over the past two years: Construction Dive Detachment (CDD) Alpha, Beta and Charlie. The most recent detachment, CDD Charlie, has been working on repairs and corrosion control in the port since December 2022.

The 12-man team wrapped up their work in February with zinc anode installation. The zinc anodes are an important finishing touch to protect the port from corrosion. Anodes made with zinc can be found in harbors and on large ships around the world, where they are used to protect metal from the corrosive effects of water. At the Port of Tinian, UCT Two affixed 131 anodes to the quay walls to increase the longevity of the infrastructure. “You can actually see them if you are on top of the surface, these big silver things,” said Andres Reyes of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas, and the environmental lead for the project. “Corrosion is going to happen no matter what, but it corrodes the zinc first before it corrodes the steel.”

Affixing the anodes to the quay walls was not as straightforward as it might seem. Each anode is five feet long and weighs 150 lbs. Divers had to transport equipment and safety gear from the surface to the underwater welding site, where they had to work with the ocean current and visibility conditions in the port waters. In addition, the team needed to accommodate environmental mitigation measures that required they leave the sea floor undisturbed.

To meet these requirements the team designed a custom-built welding platform. Lt. j.g. Daniel Nick, officer in charge of UCT Two, explained “Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Conner Clemmons, the project supervisor welded [the platform] during the planning in California. He welded it together himself. It gives the divers a workspace and gives us leverage we didn’t have before, trying to reach the sites for welding. Being on the platform gives us more capability and makes the work efficient.”

The trailer mounts of two pickup trucks suspended the platform above the sea floor. A hand winch was used to lower or raise the platform depending on the depth needed. This movable platform ensured divers were able to work on their projects safely, efficiently, and without inadvertently disrupting the marine life.

The diving platform was not the only environmental protection measure needed for the repairs at the port. Earlier detachments from UCT Two had to address a number of coral species growing within the harbor. The harbor environment, with all its infrastructure upgrades, would not be suitable for the endangered coral life. To protect the coral, CDD Alpha trained and executed a massive coral translocation.

“The process of moving the coral is ultimately very complex,” Reyes said. Reyes was heavily involved in the complex environmental coordination procedures for the port improvements, especially the coral translocation. “From the beginning, there was a lot of agency coordination since the site where the coral would be relocated falls outside of the military’s jurisdiction.”

Although the Port of Tinian was under U.S. Navy’s area of responsibility, the long-term monitoring site recommended by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality and the CNMI Department of Fish and Wildlife was not.

Reyes said the process for approval and permitting to meet compliance and repair needs was constantly evolving over the course of two years.

“There were definitely a lot of unique things we needed to do and address in order to proceed,” he said. “From the Army Corps to the CNMI agencies, we had to be very creative on how we approached the entire thing. It took a team effort across the whole board.”

The environmental team for the project worked closely with agencies including the CNMI State Historic Preservation Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA-NMFS), the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, and the CNMI Bureau of Military Affairs Office, among many others.

Once the paperwork was in order, the actual technique for moving the coral from one location to another required special training.

Reyes explained, “for some of these guys, it was their first time ever moving coral. They had to be trained, that was 16 hours over two days of training consisting of both classroom and in-water portion, learning the whole biology and the methodology for moving the colonies.”

UCT Two Divers carefully detached each individual coral from the port surfaces and brought them to a staging area where each one was identified, measured, and documented. At the new site, just outside of the Tinian harbor, the substrate of each coral was evaluated for optimal relocation. A selected site was scrubbed with a wire brush and prepped with a specialized concrete mixture.

“For the reattachment, we actually used a pretty complex mixture of cement, silica sand and a couple other ingredients,” Reyes said. “It’s not like you can just go and buy regular cement at the store. You have to attach the coral underwater; the properties for cement underwater aren’t the same like on land.”

UCT Two adjusted to these requirements easily. “Our previous team here, Construction Dive Detachment Alpha, did a fantastic job learning a new complex skill and we appreciate them taking on this challenge so we could make the necessary repairs,” Nick added.

The team has gained valuable takeaways for their next project.

“The biggest takeaway was the new platform system we developed for the welding,” Nick said. “What started as an environmental restriction has turned into a more effective system for underwater construction. We have taken an extraordinary challenge and could complete it in under fifteen minutes. We will continue to use that technology in future projects.”

Reyes said the complexity of coordination on the project was challenging and enlightening.

“On the surface everything looks pretty simple, but it was a massive team effort across all the federal agencies and the CNMI government agencies, and our partners,” he said. “For me, the main takeaway from this whole experience is really making sure that the whole team and everyone’s methodology is embraced.”

With the harbor adequately repaired and protected from corrosion, there are talks of making future repairs to increase the capability of the port.

“UCT Two has a great appreciation to the people of Tinian for the opportunity to strengthen their harbor and would love for the opportunity to return to Tinian continue to make improvements,” Nick said.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) and crew returned home to Alameda, Monday, following a 105-day, 11,500-nautical mile Alaska patrol.

Munro partnered with NOAA Office of Law Enforcement personnel to conduct 24 boardings of commercial fishing vessels with the goal of enforcing sustainable fishing practices and ensuring compliance with federal regulations.

During the patrol, the Munro and crew served as the primary search and rescue (SAR) asset in the Bering Sea.

“The continued existence of these fisheries depends on a healthy and productive ecosystem,” said Capt. Rula Deisher, Munro’s commanding officer. “As a federal law enforcement agency, it is the Coast Guard’s responsibility to ensure the longevity of these resources and safety of the fishing fleet. We’re happy to do our part combating unsustainable fishing and promoting maritime commerce that is essential to a strong U.S. economy.”

The crew performed 452 flight evolutions with five separate aircraft from Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, qualifying seven pilots and ensuring SAR readiness in the region.

“A winter patrol in the Bering Sea is the ultimate test of the cutter and crew,” said Deisher. “I am so proud of the women and men of the Munro who braved the elements, operating in the Arctic region to protect our nations resources and fishers.”

Commissioned in 2017, Munro is named for Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro, the only Coast Guardsman awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1942 for his actions and sacrifice in the defense, rescue, and evacuation of a U.S. Marine battalion from Point Cruz at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

Munro is one of four Legend-class national security cutters homeported in Alameda. National security cutters are 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, and have a 4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed of more than 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, endurance of up to 90 days, and can hold a crew of up to 170. These cutters are the centerpiece of the U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet, capable of executing the most challenging operations, including supporting maritime homeland security and defense missions at home and abroad.

Weather’s Impact on Military Campaigns

Historically, weather events have played key roles in outcomes of battles and entire campaigns. This happened famously during the Revolutionary War when George Washington moved much of his army across the East River under cover of fog after the Battle of Brooklyn (also called the Battle of Long Island). Outnumbered and outgunned by the British, fog allowed Washington to move roughly 9,000 of his Continental Army troops across the East River—a move that many historians claim set the stage for victory over the British, as had fog not emerged and had Washington not used it as a cloak, the British would have destroyed his army. The fog was an unpredicted, serendipitous event, one that Washington utilized to his advantage on the spot. In subsequent years, military environmental forecasts have evolved to become much more tightly involved in planning processes.

During the planning for Operation Overlord, the allied invasion of Normandy in World War II, forecasts of environmental factors made prior to operational execution played vital roles in ultimate success on D-Day. Planners for the operation left absolutely nothing to chance. They took into consideration tides, the phase of the moon for nighttime operations, wind, waves, rain, and even fog, integrating all factors into the plan for the amphibious assault. Crucially, their careful integration of a wide array of weather monitoring systems allowed them to forecast a lull in inclement weather, a break that German forecasters, utilizing a less sophisticated weather monitoring and processing system than that of the Allies, failed to predict. The Allies pounced during the brief period of correctly predicted calm, a window of opportunity that caught the Germans by surprise and led to the Allies defeating them. Accurate environmental forecasting proved to be the vital component for success in the operation. Other more recent examples, including rain soaking roadways in Ukraine and subsequently inhibiting Russian logistical efforts, demonstrate how monitoring and predicting weather— and utilizing it for tactical and operational advantage—can fend off or defeat an enemy, even a technologically advanced adversary. There are also examples where weather and environmental factors, not properly forecasted or properly integrated into planning, have led to military defeat—and sometimes disaster. The 1980 special operations mission to rescue American hostages in Tehran, Operation Eagle Claw, ended in disaster when a Navy RH-53D helicopter crashed into an Air Force EC-130 transport aircraft at a forward staging and refueling point called Desert One, killing eight and severely injuring four. A number of factors contributed to the disaster, notably environmental factors. The first environmental factor was a meteorological condition where fine dust becomes suspended in the atmosphere. Called a “haboob” (etymologically derived from an Arabic word meaning “to rush” or “to blow”), this condition is common throughout much of the Middle East and is a form of a sandstorm. The condition reduces visibility to just a few feet. Although weather forecasters properly forecasted that conditions were ripe for haboob formation in the area, this information was never integrated into operational planning due to the nature of the mission’s classification. As a result, the pilots never knew of the environmental threat and the helicopter component of the task force plowed straight through the haboob. The reduced visibility, combined with malfunctions in navigation instruments, caused one of the RH-53Ds to return to the aircraft carrier from which it launched, the USS Nimitz. It also caused a delay in the arrival of the remaining six helicopters at Desert One by 90 minutes. The second environmental condition that played a key role in the disaster was the surface character of Desert One. An improvised, austere landing zone, it was composed of hardened dirt with loose sand and dust covering the desert floor. With the delay due to the haboob and other factors, the mission was aborted by President Jimmy Carter, via satellite communication. The helicopters then needed to refuel for the flight back to the Nimitz. While hovering to maneuver into position to refuel from the EC-130 (which carried fuel in onboard bladders), the rotor wash from the RH-53D produced a “brownout”—a small dust storm. The disoriented pilots careened into the EC-130, causing the explosion of the two aircraft.

A lack of environmental situational awareness culminated in Operation Eagle Claw’s tragic end. The disaster, however, led to enduring military operational benefits. A subsequent investigation into Eagle Claw, led by recently retired Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James Holloway, created a report that became the primary thrust for a dramatic evolution of the Department of Defense. Called the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, the law ushered in the modern era of American joint military operations, where all Department of Defense services work together seamlessly in joint unity of effort. Today, environmental situational awareness information—like the predisposition of a designated landing zone to generate brownouts, and the possibility of haboob formation in a region during a certain time of year—is carefully integrated into planning and made available for general operational use throughout all services of the military. It is a result of continuously refined environmental monitoring and forecasting technology, and also a result of joint interoperability structures put in place as a result of the Goldwater-Nichols Act.

Today, countless military operations, from the smallest to largest scale, proceed seamlessly from an environmental standpoint due to detailed operational incorporation of products like those of Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC). Sometimes, however, environmental information from METOC or other Department of Defense forecasting bodies goes unheeded. While no individual activity in a war zone can ever be considered “routine”—a rubric of vigilance that is emphasized throughout the American military—oversights occur, often due to repetition of action, and this can lead to immense tragedy. Late in the night of January 25, 2005, two Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, call signs Sampson 21 and Sampson 22, launched from western Iraq’s Al Asad Airfield. The pilots, operating using night vision goggles, lifted into the night sky on a scheduled transport mission to pick up and drop off personnel throughout bases in the region. It was a type of flight that they had repeated numerous times throughout their deployment to the area of operation. Headed toward Camp Korean Village, a base near the town of Ar-Rutbah about 50 miles from the Syrian border, pilots of the two helicopters noticed visibility degrading shortly after midnight of the 26th. Sampson 21, the lead aircraft, lost contact with Sampson 22 shortly thereafter—never to be regained. The official report cited spatial disorientation that led to “CFIT” (pronounced “see fit”): controlled flight into terrain. The aviators of Sampson 22, disoriented by the lack of visual references within the haboob, inadvertently flew the helicopter onto a left-hand bank directly into the desert at over 100 mph. All 31 personnel onboard—aircrew and passengers—perished. This was the greatest single incident loss of life for Americans in the Iraq War, the Global War on Terrorism (including the war in Afghanistan, America’s longest in history) and for combat deployed American military personnel since the 1983 Beirut suicide bombing attack that killed 241. While helicopter shoot-downs and massive improvised explosive device bombings reverberate in memories long after their respective tragedies in recent wars, it was the atmosphere that directly precipitated the Sampson 22 crash, one of greater magnitude than any wrought by the Taliban or Al Qaeda on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. The official investigation cited an oversight of weather forecasts for the area, which had predicted haboob formation. Historians and military practitioners often state that environmental conditions, notably weather, can be a greater enemy than any human force. The Sampson 22 tragedy dramatically illustrates this.

At the Forefront of Technology

METOC’s Fleet Weather Center personnel not only provide detailed forecast products but have developed—and continue to refine—an advanced weather intelligence product. It is a weather-based tactical predictive model that fuses multivariate intelligence information with weather data. Hermsdorfer noted that by working with Navy and other U.S. government bodies, patterns of operation of pirates in certain parts of the world emerged, based on weather. With certain weather criteria known—atmospheric events that can be reliably predicted and observed—Fleet Weather Centers can state when a certain region will be essentially guaranteed to be pirate-free for safe passage, and when to be vigilant for attacks, based on the weather in that region.

To generate such advanced products, including regular daily regional forecasts, ship- and fleet specific forecasts, operational forecasts, and weather based predictive analysis products, Naval Oceanography relies on one of the world’s most advanced computing centers, the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, or FNMOC, pronounced “fin-mock.” Based in Monterey, California, the Navy established FNMOC in 1961 at the very beginning of the computer revolution—and they helped advance the technology. Today, the command is composed of mathematicians, computer scientists, oceanographers, and naval fleet operational and tactical experts. Personnel operate and source computing power from a range of some of the most powerful computers ever created, including those housed at the Navy Defense Supercomputing Resource Center. They also have dedicated access to the computers of the Department of Defense Supercomputing Resource Center, a unit that provides computing power for a wide range of military initiatives and is sponsored by Naval Oceanography. FNMOC receives tens of millions of data points per day, according to Captain Christi Montgomery, the unit’s commanding officer. They receive data from a wide variety of platforms, including a number of Navy and NOAA weather satellites, unmanned systems, and manned surface vessels. They regularly generate global and regional weather prediction products, including charts, and a number of regional and fleet- and ship-specific forecasts. With both atmospheric and oceanographic data, FNMOC can create extremely accurate models, and their base algorithms are continuously being enhanced and refined. “We have a global atmospheric numerical model, and a global oceanography model, and we have a partnership with the Naval Research Laboratory Marine meteorology division,” explained Captain Montgomery. Furthermore, Captain Montgomery noted, they work with “ensemble” models, where different models, including those from the Air Force, are fused. “We found a lot of success running ensemble models.” One of these is called COAMPS, or Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System. FNMOC personnel can create high-resolution predictive analysis oceanography-meteorology models for regions, fleets, or individual ships with this technique.

Continuously advancing their techniques and technology, a legacy that dates to the earliest days of the Naval Depot of Charts and Instruments, is a demonstrated component of Naval Oceanography culture, notably at FNMOC. Captain Montgomery explained that they work in-house and with the Naval Research Laboratory to constantly upgrade forecasting. “Research and development transitions directly into naval operations all the time,” she stated. A sister command to FNMOC, the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) provides the U.S. military with detailed information vital to maritime operations throughout the globe, including underwater dynamics—oceanographic “weather.” Captain Ken Wallace, the recently departed commanding officer of the unit, explained that, although 70% of the globe is covered by oceans, roughly only 20% of it has been surveyed. “It can be an enemy, but also it can be an advantage.” Like the other components of METOC, NAVOCEANO continuously seeks to always maintain a tactical and operational edge through knowledge of the environment. The command ingests massive troves of data every day, including information from satellites, manned surface and subsurface vehicles, unmanned aircraft, unmanned underwater vehicles, and specialized buoys, both fixed and drifting. One of the most important types of craft used is the oceanographic survey ship, or T-AGS, pronounced “tags.” “These ships are always forward deployed,” Captain Wallace explained of the specialized data collection vessels that rank as some of the busiest in the Navy. They collect a wide spectrum of oceanographic data, including CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) and a number of other criteria. Wallace explained that these ships scan columns of ocean water from the seafloor to the surface, and the data collected is then fed into computers at FNMOC. Survey detachments travel throughout the globe, often battling extreme ocean conditions. “They are out there fighting heavy seas, in places where no other ships go, in inclement weather, so we understand and characterize a very complex ocean environment.” The data collected by NAVOCEANO provides the Navy with “safety of navigation support,” meaning the ability to navigate throughout the world’s oceans—and under them.

Underwater Warfare Weather Forecasting

Underwater warfare is one of the most technically difficult, dangerous, and secretive of all types of military operations. Naval Oceanography is the key enabler of underwater navigation for the U.S. Navy’s submarines. The data collected—and then processed into continuously evolving products, notably digital charts— allows American submarines to roam the oceans freely. Using different types of sonar systems, including side-scan sonar, from both manned and unmanned platforms, the NAVOCEANO continuously gathers bathymetric data (underwater topography) of areas of interest to the Navy. Working with the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency (charged with making maps and charts or the Department of Defense), the office then produces detailed information products. Because GPS signals cannot penetrate water, and because they have no means (like windows) of directly visualizing their surroundings while submerged, submarines rely primarily on inertial systems to determine their location as they ply the dark depths. Extremely sensitive gyroscopes and accelerometers, which detect movement and direction changes, internally track the motion of submarines, and hence location from a known reference position. While submarines possess active sonar that can be used for navigation, the use of such systems alerts potential enemies to the presence of the submarine emitting these “pings,” so this form of navigation is used judiciously. Accurate, up-to-date, and extremely detailed underwater charts are critical for submarine operations to proceed without potentially deadly collisions, where inertial navigation and METOC information alone guide them.

Just as important to submarine operations is dynamic hydrographic data—“underwater weather.” Submarines use passive sonar—essentially extremely sensitive microphones—to detect potential enemy vessels. To accurately identify the location and range of a detected enemy boat, submarine warfare specialists need to know how sound waves will be refracted (bent) as they are emitted from the enemy target to their submarine’s microphones. Temperature, salinity, density, and ocean currents determine this. Even being slightly off with any of these criteria can prove deadly in actual combat. Any action by one submarine, like launching a torpedo, gives the other positional data through acoustics. Hydrographic dynamics also affects submarine communication, which is limited to acoustic systems and extremely long wave radio waves (wavelengths of tens or hundreds of miles), both severely limited compared to communication above water. One of the most important components of America’s strategic capability is the U.S. Navy’s fleet of SSBNs, ballistic missile submarines. These boats, which each carry up to 24 Trident II SLBMs (submarine launched ballistic missiles), silently lurk in key areas of the world’s oceans. When tasked to execute their mission, these submarines need to know the specific dynamics of the water in which they are operating to ensure that they can receive such a message. The Naval Oceanography Office ensures that SSBN communications specialists will be able to receive such a message by providing them with detailed information about the water in which they are deployed. One of the most complex forms of naval warfare is ASW (anti-submarine warfare). NAVOCEANO is the key enabler for the U.S. Navy in this mission. The science involves fusing bathymetric data with underwater dynamics data to provide American attack submarines a “blank canvas”—a picture of the native environment, free of any enemy presence. By scanning a region using passive sonar, Naval specialists can detect any “brushstroke” of an enemy on this canvas, and can then move in and attack, using active sonar (which also requires detailed knowledge of the water’s character to the work properly) to provide high-resolution targeting data. Naval Oceanography also is a key enabler of military operations in one of the most important of all environment types, the transition of sea to land, littoral zones. Called Fleet Survey Teams, this small component of Naval Oceanography will prove to be one of the most important in all of the Department of Defense if war should break out requiring amphibious operations where Marines and other personnel land on beachheads using amphibious assault craft. Historically, the importance of optimized environmental situational awareness in littoral combat is best exemplified by the successful Normandy landings at D-Day of Operation Overlord. Failure to adequately incorporate meteorological and oceanographic information into a mission plan is best illustrated by November 1943’s Battle of Tarawa. Planners had predicted that a rising tide would provide five feet of water depth over coral reefs. They failed to predict the neap tide (when there is the least difference between high and low water), which prohibited their landing craft from making it through the littoral zone. Although they ultimately achieved victory, the Marines suffered severe losses due to the oversight of environmental factors. Today, Fleet Survey Team detachments, which can operate from shore or ship, carefully survey littoral zones of interest, ensuring freedom of passage for American forces. They provide tide information (often down to the inch), locations of wrecks and submerged rocks, and other hazards. Fused with Naval Oceanography’s meteorological forecast products, Fleet Survey Team data collection ensures that any future amphibious assault proceeds like the advance at Normandy, and not as experienced at Tarawa.

Specialized Personnel

While Naval Oceanography covers a very broad range of environmental criteria, the command’s greatest strength is its composition of highly specialized personnel. Many personnel begin their Navy careers in other fields, then “laterally move” into Naval Oceanography. This brings a diversity of backgrounds which helps the overall command provide relevant information, often custom tailored, to individual specific applications. Component commands of Naval Oceanography are similarly diverse and highly specialized. This includes the Naval Ice Center. work of which is vital in understanding route-finding in cold and high-latitude portions of the globe, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, which provides detailed information on the globe’s most powerful storms. Operationally, Naval Oceanography supports all types of Department of Defense missions, including special operations. The Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center (NOSWC) directly supports special operations from an oceanography and meteorological standpoint. Members of this component of Naval Oceanography train and deploy with special operations units, and sometimes accompany them on operations. Commander Mark Hebert, the commanding officer of NOSWC, provides a general overview of the command: “The mission of the Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center (NOSWC) is to deploy full-spectrum Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) teams to provide asymmetric warfighting advantage for Naval Special Warfare (NSW) globally. Many people equate NSW to Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) forces, but it also incorporates Special Warfare Combatant Craft (SWCC) and other communities who commonly work with conventional and non-conventional forces.” Although the unit’s emphasis is on support of Naval Special Warfare operations, NOSWC can and regularly supports all types of special operations, throughout the globe. While a small component of METOC, personnel of the NOSWC have direct access to all of the other components of Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command.

While the tools, techniques, and capabilities have changed over the decades from its inception—many of which could never have been imagined in 1830—the spirit exemplified by Maury and other pioneers of Navy meteorology, oceanography, and navigation continues to drive those of METOC today; it is an enduring Pathfinder ethos.

Part I of “U.S. Naval Oceanography: Pathfinders of the American Military” was published in the January/February 2023 issue of Weatherwise Magazine.

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* Weatherwise contributing editor ED DARACK is an independent author and photographer based in Wyoming. Learn more at darack.co

SAN DIEGO, Calif. —Rear Adm. Ron Piret, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC) gave an address as a co-keynote speaker and participated in an in-depth panel discussion during the San Diego-based ocean science, technology, and engineering conference—Oceanology International Americas (OiA) 2023, Feb. 14-16.

Piret highlighted challenges and successes of the Naval Oceanography workforce family, comprised of 2,500 Sailors and Civilians, who are experts on everything science from the ocean floor to the farthest known star; using that expertise as a critical part of our nation’s Navy.

“At Sea, we are the subject matter experts to explain the environment and protect our naval forces,” said Piret. “[D]ata and discoveries made are collected by Naval Oceanography to inform strategic, operational, and tactical decision-makers to maximize lethality in the selection of platform, weapon, sensors, and area of engagement at the time and place of our choosing.”

As a conference and exposition, OiA is designed for stakeholders who explore, protect, and operate in the world’s oceans and waterways, offering access to comprehensive, innovative solutions, content and expertise; facilitated through in-person networking.

Piret’s address did not shy away from adversarial threats currently faced by the U.S., and just how Naval Oceanography’s capabilities can curtail those threats.

“Identifying and exploiting these ‘high grounds’ in the battlespace is our charge…seeking opportunities where our adversaries only see risk,” Piret said. “Whether it be the South China Sea or the Black Sea, Naval Oceanography’s 2500-plus Sailors, and Civilians have been working in all of the earth’s oceans to provide decision-makers and policy leaders the best environmental information for the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

OiA’s audience had a chance to hear about the dynamic work taking place at Naval Oceanography, responsible for its vast unmanned systems, data collection and modeling capability.

“We [Naval Oceanography] have been utilizing various new capabilities, from our unmanned systems technology to new modeling software to meet today’s challenges,” said Piret. “Collecting and gathering that data are important steps along the path to generating usable inputs (models)… underpinned by our High-Performance Computing partnerships with the DoD High-Performance Computing Modernization Office.”

With leading-edge technology in its arsenal, Naval Oceanography’s advanced competencies enhance the Fleet’s ability to make the right choice at the right time.

“One of those systems is NEPTUNE whose capabilities are a potential game-changer in atmospheric modeling…the highest resolution of Navy global atmospheric models (8-9km), coupled with community-developed parameterizations, and advanced capabilities for changing resolution based on operational needs or relevant weather features that require higher resolution to depict,” Piret said.

Piret was joined by: Dr Ralph Rayner, Oceanology International Americas Conference Chair; Hon. Dr Rick Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere & NOAA Administrator; Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean SuperCluster; and Charles Colgan, Director of Research, Centre for the Blue Economy, Middlebury Institute.

In addition to Piret’s attendance: Mr. Wade Ladner, Technical Director, Naval Oceanographic Office; Captain Christi Montgomery, Commanding Officer, Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center; Captain Kate Hermsdorfer, Commanding Officer, Fleet Weather Center – San Diego—participated in a separate panel discussion on day two of OiA where they expounded on Naval Oceanography’s subordinate commands and their respective missions.

Additionally, Commander Mark Hebert, Commanding Officer Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center, participated in a standup discussion at the NOAA pavilion speaking to over 30 individuals from companies, academia, and government partners about what his command does and the overall Naval Oceanography

OiA attracts key end-users from oil & gas, renewables, maritime security, marine science, ports, aquaculture, data, & subsea and stakeholder groups (manufacturers, contractors, operators, developers, distributors, engineers, technologists, regulators, research, governments, NGOs, etc.).

Oceanology International Americas offers ocean professionals the opportunity to take a deep dive into strategic, topical, technical and scientific conference content. Developed in partnership with the Marine Technology Society, and the Society of Underwater Technology, conference plenary sessions and technical tracks have been designed to ensure attendees get the best possible insights and most up to date knowledge from representatives of government, academia and industry.

Naval Oceanography has approximately 2,500 globally distributed military and civilian personnel, who collect, process and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to guarantee the U.S. Navy’s freedom of action in the physical battlespace from the depths of the ocean to the stars.

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First in a two-part series on how the Navy and its partners are working to improve Arctic operations as the sea ice melts due to warming temperatures.

The Arctic is the next frontier for U.S. military operations, where the physical environment poses a major threat to achieving strategic dominance, managing assets and ensuring freedom of the seas.

The importance of the Arctic will only increase each year as the decline of the perennial sea ice continues and the ice edge shifts. It is imperative to strengthen the ability to operate there in order to gain a strategic advantage. Effective operations will hinge on reliable environmental intelligence in a region where conditions can be severe.

The U.S. most recently updated its strategy for the Arctic region last October with a new 10-year scope that seeks a peaceful, stable, prosperous and cooperative Arctic at the same time acknowledging strategic competition with Russia and China. Ongoing efforts include investing in technology that detects and tracks potential threats and improves our own capabilities to maneuver in the region. This is not a simple task due to the dominant role that Russia has in the Arctic, as well as the growing concern for China’s desire to be an influential nation there.

Arctic environment presents challenges for the Navy

The Arctic Ocean is in many ways an uncharted domain for conducting military operations. It will be no easy feat to operate effectively because the Arctic is a hostile environment for modern vessels within ice-infested waters.

Currently, the U.S. has a limited icebreaking capability that is completely reliant on the U.S. Coast Guard, with the Coast Guard cutters Healy and Polar Star handling all pathfinding needed to ensure safe transit. This shortfall is driving the production of the next generation of Polar Security Cutters, a joint Navy and Coast Guard program to address the dire necessity for increased icebreaking operations in the near future. The first new Polar Security Cutter is expected to be delivered in 2025.

Along with an updated force, any future naval conflict will require leveraging technological advancements made in the past 80 years since the naval challenges of World War II, when the U.S. was last fully tested as a strategic force implementing older-era warfighting tactics. The Arctic presents conditions and challenges far different from those encountered in earlier eras.

The future of warfighting will demand means beyond globally deployed strike groups and a prominent physical presence. Information warfare will be of greater importance as the challenges facing battlespace awareness, assured command and control and integrated fires are heightened in the austere environment of the Arctic.

Successful intelligence preparation of the operational environment, mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum and solid communications could very well be deciding factors for any conflicts in the high latitudes. Any future conflict will be settled in large part by how well information, including environmental intelligence, is gained, exploited and disseminated.

Technology that implements artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) methods could yield a warfighting advantage in predicting the physical battlespace. Current projects are underway across the fleet, many led by Office of Naval Research and Naval Research Laboratory, to address the need for advanced data assimilation to improve high-latitude environmental models for weather and conditions forecasting and predictions.

A variety of environmental data collected through in situ or remote means is necessary for these modeling efforts to be successful. The sea ice edge can vary by hundreds of miles overnight when faced with the dynamic meteorology present in the region.

Many analytical intelligence challenges can be partially to fully automated AI/ML, but even these innovative efforts require substantial data, among other resources, as a driving mechanism. It will be essential to fill the current environmental data gaps in the Arctic if the U.S. is to harness the technical advances made in computing and successfully exploit technologies such as more sophisticated models and innovative AI/ML projects. Some small but highly effective naval commands have started paving a path forward to meet these shortfalls.

How the U.S. National Ice Center plays a major role

The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) is a tri-agency organization of the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Coast Guard with a mission to provide global to tactical scale ice and snow information, ice forecasting and related environmental intelligence services for the U.S. government.

Fewer than 50 uniformed, civilian and contract personnel comprise the USNIC on a daily basis with only a dozen of those individuals creating a variety of routine ice analyses for the Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes and other geostrategic locations where ice may form; a daily analysis of U.S. Northern Hemisphere snow and ice information to directly support assets and personnel in the field.

With such a small team, providing environmental intelligence to ensure safety of navigation in treacherous polar waters and economic prosperity within and along high latitude commercial routes and port regions is a vital task. Indeed, providing environmental intelligence in particular about sea ice proliferating in the Arctic Ocean is essential.

Several portions of the Arctic Ocean that have historically been covered with sea ice through at least parts of the winter will become increasingly ice-free in the coming years. This decrease in ice can result in shorter maritime trade routes, or completely new transpolar routes, becoming available, significantly decreasing maritime Arctic transit.

The Arctic is still largely unfamiliar in its delicate environmental complexities. The need for increased and enhanced observations continuously grows as the sea ice left behind year after year becomes more fragile, thin and diminishes in extent, losing an equivalent area the size of South Carolina annually.

Characterizing the ice in the region requires various input sources whether it be satellite-derived data, sensing platforms like high-tech buoys or occasionally deployed personnel feedback while onboard icebreaking operations in the region. The limited in situ observations help increase near-real time environmental knowledge in the Arctic, but at current numbers, they form an incomplete picture and are not enough for fully forecasting and safely operating within such a complex, harsh domain.

In the next installment, we discuss how USNIC is bolstering sensor and analysis abilities in the Arctic.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii. – Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) has been recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS) as StormReady® and TsunamiReady®, Dec. 14.

According to the NWS, JBPHH is the first installation in the Pacific and the State of Hawaii to be distinguished with both titles, representing a small, elite group of emergency management and response teams that have proven to meet the NOAA’s high standards of becoming StormReady and TsunamiReady organizations. JBPHH is considered highly prepared to respond to and recover from a multitude of natural disasters and hazards, such as typhoons, other severe weather types, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, that can impact its population.

To be officially StormReady a community must:

– Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center

– Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public

– Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally

– Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars

– Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather and holding emergency exercises.

When it comes to preparedness in paradise, “It is important to be prepared here because we are an island community, and we are so far away from our re-supply on the mainland. For example: 95% of our goods come through by ship. If a hurricane or tsunami destroyed the harbor, we would potentially have to wait weeks or maybe even longer to resupply. So it’s important for us as a community to be prepared before the storm hits,” said Warren Ferguson, Emergency Management Officer for JBPHH.

This recognition represents the installations’ hard work and joint efforts to not only meet existing directives, but also showcases JBPHH’s dedication to support and care for everyone on base by taking it a step further to obtain these certifications. Navy-wide there are currently 17 installations designated as StormReady, with 7 of those installations holding both StormReady and TsunamiReady titles.

These programs use a grassroots approach to help communities handle all types of severe weather and/or tsunami hazards by asking communities to proactively improve their weather and tsunami-related emergency operations. Local NWS meteorologists work one-on-one with emergency managers to provide clear-cut guidelines on how to strengthen these operations. To become certified, communities must meet guidelines established by the National Weather Service in partnership with federal, state, and local emergency management professionals.

For installations interested in becoming a StormReady / TsunamiReady community, they can get in touch with either their Emergency Management Department or local NOAA office.