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57th OSS weather plays crucial role during Red Flag
By Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. —
Atmospheric weather conditions vary
every day due to changes in heat, wind
and moisture. Weather is constantly
changing and is not something that can
be controlled.
The 57th Operations Support Weather
Flight is tasked with calculating and
monitoring weather to provide key infor-
mation that directly affects daily flying
operations. Red Flag brings a new set of
challenges as it causes a huge increase in
flying missions at Nellis AFB.
“The Weather Flight’s role during Red
Flag is to coordinate weather support re-
quirements with tasked (exercise) weath-
er forecasters prior to arrival, provide
training upon arrival and ensure they
have the resources and expertise needed
to provide weather support for the flying
missions throughout the exercise,” said
Staff Sgt. Jarad Guerrero-Salinas, 57th
OSS mission weather forecaster.
The 57th OSS mission weather sup-
port NCO in charge, Tech Sgt. Melvin
Watson, is the focal point for exercise
operations and is an integral part in en-
suring both the 57th Operations Support
Weather Flight and Red Flag forecasters
are consistent with weather information.
“He provides training and ensures
resources are available for Red Flag
personnel. There are two to four tempo-
rary duty forecasters for Red Flag,” said
Guerrero-Salinas. “Their mission is to
integrate the current and forecasted at-
mospheric and space weather conditions
into Red Flag operations and planning.
They provide mission safety for aircraft
and personnel and maximize training
through exploitation of timely, accurate
and relevant weather information.”
Not only does Watson provide train-
ing to Red Flag weather personnel, he
also checks the daily flight schedule so
that he can tailor weather calculations to
the specific aircraft that is flying.
“Typically in a daily operation what
I want to know off-hand is the type
of aircraft that are flying that day and
BUDGET, from page 1 __________
“This is the only test range where you
can bring it all together — not only all the tential conflict with higher-end adversar-
kinds of aircraft you see on the ramps out
there, but the satellites you don’t see and
the cyber (activity) you don’t see. In to-
day’s world, all of that is brought together
only here at Nellis, so it’s an enormously
important installation. That is reflected in er in the day at the 66th Rescue Squadron
our budget, where we’re adding $1 billion
more for training of this kind over the
next five years. That’s going to support no
fewer than 34 major exercises.”
The defense secretary spoke about
Feature
Airman 1st Class Jocelyn Huls, 57th Operations Support Weather Flight weather forecaster, uses
a Kestrel Meter to record weather conditions at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 3. A Kestrel Meter
is a handheld device that calculates wind speed, temperature and other weather parameters.
where they are actually going,” said
Watson. “Once I determine the aircraft
and the location, I must then determine
the mission type. That is the next im-
portant step.
“Is it air-to-ground or air-to-air? If
it is an air-to-ground mission the pilots
care about the weather from the surface
to 15,000 feet. If it’s an air-to-air then
they care about the weather from 10,000
to 35,000 feet. I take all this information
and can tailor the weather to that par-
ticular mission and give the pilots only
the weather information that they need
to know for the mission.”
When aircrews go in for the Red Flag
pre-flight briefing, the weather section is
one of the first to go and is able to provide
the mission essential information needed
for the flying mission.
“Weather briefings contain airfield
weather for takeoff and landing, route
weather, (Nevada Test and Training
Range) weather, and divert weather,”
said Guerrero-Salinas. “Most people are
familiar with surface weather; they see
watches, warnings and advisories that
pop up on computer screens.”
attaining a lasting defeat of the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant, while also
ensuring the department is ready for po-
ies and more technologically-advanced
threats in the future.
Carter said the men and women of the
Air Force — like the ones he visited earli-
and 823rd Maintenance Squadron — will
be the keys to the direction the Defense
Department plans to take the service in
the future.
“We are adding funds to the Air Force
budget to grow manpower in the mainte-
3February 12, 2016
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U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes sive amounts of information weather
personnel could communicate to fly-
ing personnel. During briefings, this is
typically accomplished by focusing on
mission-limiting weather, as pilots don’t
have time for a detailed account of every
“The watches, warnings and advi- aspect of weather.”
sories primarily impact take-off and
landing, but there is a lot of additional The weather flight is unique in the
information pilots can use to truly make amount of flying squadrons it supports
the most of a mission set. Space weather and Red Flag just adds to the mission.
can impact the ability to use GPS com-
munications, the amount of moonlight “Absolutely the most unique thing
can determine whether night vision about our mission is the scope. Generally,
googles can be used. weather flights have two or three flying
squadrons to support; here we support
“A significant difference in f light 16,” said Guerrero-Salinas.
level winds could prevent dropping live
ordinance. Tailored targeting data with “Most weather flights know their
weather impacts can change the ideal ap- pilots personally. They spend years culti-
proach direction of a target. Icing could vating a relationship and trust, and most
stop refueling missions and high winds forecasters are specifically assigned to a
on the range means parachutes could be unit. Here we support hundreds of pilots,
impacted. many of whom we never see face to face.
There are endless parameters that “It is a balance trying to ensure we
must be examined, briefed and moni- can provide the best support possible
tored. From take-off to touch down, and establish that level of trust. Addi-
from surface to space, weather forecast- tionally our flight supports 17 annual
ers handle the entire sortie and must exercises, either by providing training
brief any impacts or hazards within the to TDY personnel or actually supplying
spectrum of the mission. a forecaster if sufficient TDY personnel
were not identified. “
Now multiply that by the number
of sorties we have every day at Nellis, According to Guerrero-Salinas, it is
particularly during Green Flag and Red possible to think weather information
Flag exercises, and you can see the mas- isn’t all that important at Nellis AFB
because the take-off and landing weather
is generally “good” but it is important to
know just how crucial their support is
even during good weather.
“While a lot of people might believe
forecasters have a Magic 8 Ball under their
desk, the daily tasks of a weather forecast-
er involves a lot of advanced mathematics
and physics, forecasting is a science, not
an art,” said Guerrero-Salinas.
Air Force Weather has placed a new
focus on mission integration and weather
personnel are expected to tailor the
weather for each sortie. Every aircraft has
different weather criteria that restricts
or prohibits takeoff, route and landing
weather. The weather flight uses their vast
knowledge and training to professionally
showcase Airpower by providing tailored
weather briefs to aircrew that specifically
impact the supported mission.
nance area because we need more main- cargo — Airmen returning from deploy-
tainers, given the high-operations tempo, ment — so he took a 20-minute detour to
to keep our aircraft ready,” Carter said. personally welcome home every return-
“We’re doing all this at the same time ing Airman.
that we are modernizing the Air Force,
so you’ll see in the future new aircraft “It’s indicative that at his last moment
here on the ramp. on the ramp, when he realized there were
Airmen returning, he delayed his depar-
“You’ll see, shortly, the KC-46 and ture and said let’s go meet those Airmen.
one day maybe you’ll see — but maybe Those Airmen had no idea, they just flew
we won’t show — a new bomber, and back from their (area of responsibility),
there’s other things you also won’t see climbed off the plane, and here’s the sec-
because we like to have some surprises retary of defense welcoming them back,”
for potential adversaries.” said Maj. Gen. Jay Silveria, U.S. Air Force
Warfare Center commander. “As he said,
On his way to depart the base, Carter he supports us 1,000 percent.”
noticed a C-5 Galaxy unloading precious