Table 2. 



ESTIMATED FUNDING LEVEL - 



FISCAL YEAR 1969 



OPERATIONS TO PROVIDE DATA NEEDED 



TO SUPPORT THE NATIONAL MARINE 



ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES PROGRAM' 



(Thousands of Dollars) 



(Category c.) 



Source: Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteoro- 

 logical Services and Supporting Research, The Federal 

 Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, 

 Fiscal Year 1969, Washington, D.C. (1968) 



Data subject to revision as spending plans become firm. 



III. PROGRAMS OF FEDERAL AGENCIES^ 

 A. Department of Defense 



The Air Force conducts extensive environ- 

 mental observing and prediction programs, pri- 

 marily the collection of atmospheric data at 

 certain locations in the United States and overseas. 

 The Air Force also operates regular weather 

 reconnaissance flights over ocean areas. However, 

 the bulk of the Defense Department activities of 

 concern to the panel is conducted by the Navy. 



All commissioned naval vessels are required to 

 record and report weather observations when 

 underway and, under certain conditions, while in 

 port. Six-hourly surface observations are made by 

 non-meteorological personnel. For more accurate 

 and detailed observations and duties, meteoro- 

 logical personnel are assigned to approximately 75 

 ships. All these ships make scheduled surface 

 observations for synoptic and aviation purposes; 



approximately 55 are equipped to make upper-air 

 observations. The Navy also obtains some data 

 from Navy Oceanographic/Meteorological Auto- 

 matic Devices (NOMADs), now undergoing opera- 

 tional evaluation (see Chapter 5). The Navy's 

 marine observational program is conducted to 

 fulfill military requirements, but observations are 

 also made available to the Department of Com- 

 merce. The Navy's operational program is pri- 

 marily the responsibility of the Naval Weather 

 Service Command. 



1. Naval Weather Service Command 



The missions of the Naval Weather Service 

 Coimnand are:' 



1. Provide meteorological services for air, sur- 

 face, and sub-surface operations of the U.S. Navy. 



2. Provide oceanographic forecasts for the 

 armed services of the Department of Defense in 

 order to support military plans and operations. 



In addition to the more familiar maritime 

 forecasts— fog, small craft, gale and storm warn- 

 ings, high seas warnings— the Naval Weather Service 

 Command provides operational oceanographic sup- 

 port to the fleet. Forecasts cover sea state, surf 

 and littoral currents for amphibious operations, 

 physical oceanographic parameters for anti- 

 submarine warfare, wind-driven currents for search 

 and rescue missions, sea ice conditions for polar 

 missions, and Optimum Track Ship Routing 

 (OTSR), an advisory service for ship track selec- 

 tion to avoid hazardous wind and sea conditions. 



Fleet Weather Centrals at Alameda, California; 

 Norfolk, Virginia; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Guam; 

 and Rota, Spain, operate as area centers. They use 

 the broad-scale products from the Fleet Numerical 

 Weather Central (see next section) and from 

 ESSA's National Meteorological Center to pre- 

 pare detailed analyses, forecasts, and warnings 

 for their areas of responsibility (See Figure 5.) 

 Fleet Weather Central products are disseminated 

 to naval operating forces and to smaller naval 

 environmental units by the Naval Communications 

 System. 



The descriptions of Federal agency programs have 

 been reviewed by the cognizant agencies. 



Office of the Chief of Naval Operation, OPNAV 

 Instruction P3 140. 32A. 



11-17 



333-093 O - 69 ■ 



