The 15th Operational Weather Squadron (15 OWS), based out of Scott Air Force Base, IL, is the largest Operational Weather Squadron in the Continental United States that does not have an overseas mission.
Vision
"Warfighter focused, warrior Airmen!"
Mission statement
"Provide accurate, timely and relevant weather information to ensure safe, effective and efficient military operations and provide world-class training to build technical skills necessary to support the warfighter".
Mission
The 15th Operational Weather Squadron is responsible for producing and disseminating mission planning and execution weather analysis, forecasts, and briefings for Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, Guard, Reserve, United States Strategic Command, and United States Northern Command forces operating at 137 installations/sites in a 24 state region of the northeastern United States, totaling over $200 Billion of assets and over 270,000 personnel including presidential support.
This weather squadron is responsible for base or post forecasting, developing weather products, briefing transient aircrews, and weather warnings for all of their geographical units. Using automatic observing systems located at all military installations and communicating with their combat weather flights, the squadron is able to 'watch' the weather in their entire area of responsibility from one central location.
The Operational Weather Squadron is the first place a newly schooled weather apprentice will report. At the squadron, working alongside a seasoned weather professional, the forecaster is trained in all aspects of Air force meteorology, from forecasting to pilot briefing. The 15th Operational Weather Squadron is responsible for training 20% of all new Air Force enlisted forecasters and weather officers.
The weather squadron works closely with the combat weather flights they support to ensure a flawless exchange of weather information; to Andrews Air Force Base, Camp David, Dover Air Force Base, Ellsworth Air Force Base, Fort Belvoir, Fort Campbell, Fort Drum, Fort Eustis, Fort Knox, Grand Forks Air Force Base, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Langley Air Force Base, McGuire Air Force Base, Minot Air Force Base, Offutt Air Force Base, Scott Air Force Base, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Westover ARB, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Personnel and resources
15th Operational Weather Squadron's manning consists of active duty, reserve, civilian and contract personnel and is located on Scott Air Force Base, IL., Under the 1st Weather Group, Offutt Air Force Base, NE.
Organization
The 15th Operational Weather Squadron is divided into 5 different flights, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Sierra and Tango. These 5 flights correspond to a specific Area of Operation(AoR), A, B and C flights (WXA, WXB, WXC) are responsible for the Active, and Reserve air stations and specific Army installations. TO (WXTO) Flight is responsible for Briefing pilots using a common DD Form 175-1, and Air Crew Graphics produce graphic charts. T Flight (WXT) is responsible for training and communications within the 15OWS.
A, B, and C Flight are responsible for the 17 active/reserve bases and 230 Department of Defense units at 144 installations across 24 states. Operations continue 24hour, 7-day-a-week and are divided into 4 cells: West, Central, East and PWW (Point Weather Warning).
X Flight is responsible for producing DD Form 175-1’s that are faxed or e-mailed to 151 flying units across the 24 state AoR, that produces a total of 2500 briefings per month. The Air Crew Graphics section of WXX produce graphic charts or "Forecaster in the loop" charts (FITL charts). This section produce Thunderstorms, Turbulence, Icing, Horizontal Weather depiction (HWD) or Fog forecast, Clouds, and Surface Precipitation charts comparable to the National Weather Service's AIRMETS and SIGMETS.
S Flight (WXS), otherwise known as the Communications Shop, is responsible for maintaining all 39 servers and 196 workstations of the 15th OWS.
T Flight (WXT) is responsible for training new forecasters.
Lineage
Constituted 15th Weather Squadron on 10 April 1942; Activated on 22 April 1942; Inactivated on 8 August 1959; Activated on 28 February 1961; Organized on 8 July 1961; Inactivated on 30 September 1991; Activated on 1 June 1992; Inactivated on 1 August 1994; Redesignated 15th Operational Weather Squadron on 8 January 1999; Activated on 15 February 1999.
Duty Assignments
List of duty assignments and parent units from 1942 to present.