weather station operations, we will be able to cut the response 

 time of the warning system significantly and to increase the relia- 

 bility of the transmission and dissemination of warnings. Prototype 

 development of the AFOS system is moving ahead rapidly. A Model 

 Facility to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept is now under 

 contract. 



It is my intent to continue to support the kinds of programs 

 that are recommended by NACOA in order to insure that this 

 Nation has the best warning system that our technology can provide. 



The Committee, once again, has raised the issue of the technical 

 content and the organization of the Federal Government in the 

 field of weather modification. It expresses its concern that the 

 weather modification programs of the Federal Government have 

 been declining in funding, and management of these programs has 

 become even more diffuse. It has again recommended that NOAA 

 be established in the lead role for carrying out certain Federal 

 weather modification activities. We interpret the Committee's advice 

 as not precluding the need of agencies such as the Departments of 

 Transportation, Agriculture, Interior, and Defense and the National 

 Science Foundation from carrying out operational and research 

 activities closely related to their missions. 



One of the benefits of the establishment of the DENR will be 

 to permit new opportunities for more effective planning, coordina- 

 tion and management of weather modification activities of the 

 Departments of Commerce, Interior, and Agriculture. As a result, 

 technical progress should be accelerated. 



The Committee's concern with the decrease in the funding avail- 

 able for research in the field of weather modification is appreciated. 

 For certain aspects, however, there have been substantial increases 

 in the Nation's weather modification activities in the President's 

 budget request for fiscal year 1974. These increases are mainly for 

 capital equipment, principally heavy research aircraft equipped 

 with modern instrumentation. For some time we have been con- 

 cerned about the growing and critical obsolescence of the equip- 

 ment available for weather modification activities. We have taken 

 the decision this year to place the greatest emphasis on modernizing 

 the capital equipment structure underlying the Nation's weather 

 modification program. This action reflects the Committee's concern 

 for the general state of the capital structure in oceanic and atmos- 

 pheric aflfairs and strengthens our research capability. 



Essential to the national weather modification eflfort is the kind 



