tal monitoring and prediction program consider- 

 ably easier than it is today, if the program were 

 entirely in the Defense Department; it is the 

 question of whether these funds would be allo- 

 cated for the best over-all interests of the Nation 

 that influences the panel's opinion with regard to 

 this option. 



(4) Present DOD programs could be continued 

 and the civil program in several Federal agencies 

 expanded, possibly including some not now active 

 in the program. This option might increase the 

 number of civil agencies in the total program and 

 thus increase its fragmentation with an accom- 

 panying lack of economy. With increased funds in 

 this program the present or any alternate inter- 

 agency coordination scheme would be less effi- 

 cient than such coordination is today. 



(5) The military-related program in the Defense 

 Department could be retained with consolidation 

 of all civil activities in one Federal agency, except 

 for the Coast Guard's logistic support services, or 



(6) The logistic support agency could be placed 

 within the major civil agency. 



These options would continue the separate civil 

 and miUtary systems, but could achieve significant 

 economies by concentrating the civil program in 

 one agency. Coordination and lead agency prob- 

 lems would be significantly eased, and the number 

 of committee meetings required to coordinate the 

 National program would be significantly reduced. 

 Program management and system design efforts 

 would be strengthened if the civil program were 

 unified in one agency. At present there is, for 

 example, no clear agency responsibility for eval- 

 uating the total system in terms of the trade-off 

 between satellite and buoy data collection sys- 

 tems. 



In one case (5) the marine logistic capabihty of 

 the Coast Guard would be called on by the 

 responsible operating agency; in another (6) these 

 activities would be absorbed into the operating 

 agency. In these options, the civil agency may 

 operate a facility for joint civil/miUtary use, such 

 as the National Environmental SatelUte System. 

 The estabhshment of unified Federal positions in 

 regard to international meteorological and ocean- 

 ographic prediction activities, now a relatively 

 difficult problem requiring coordination and re- 

 view by many agencies, would be greatly facih- 

 tated if the responsibilities for the civil programs 

 were centered in a single agency. 



(7) All programs, including those in support of 

 military operations, could be consolidated in one 

 civO agency. This option would necessitate the 

 establishment of a means to assure the Defense 

 Department that mihtary requirements could be 

 adequately met by the civil agency. 



The civil agency would have to gear its opera- 

 tions to provide rapid response to mihtary require- 

 ments. In general, experience is such that miUtary 

 requirements and, in particular, the required 

 quick-response capability, necessitate a system 

 that is under mihtary control. 



The panel favors option (5) or (6) but an 

 explanation is required to indicate, in detail, the 

 nature of the responsibility that would be assigned 

 to the new or modified existing Federal agency, as 

 well as that to be retained in the Department of 

 Defense. It is not intended that DOD would 

 maintain facilities duplicating those of a civil 

 agency in aU respects. As now established in 

 meteorology the collection of basic oceanographic 

 data would be a shared responsibility; in effect all 

 observed data would be pooled and available both 

 to the responsible civil agency and the DOD. 



Some environmental service requirements are 

 common to both civil and military users. The 

 National upper-air sounding network, operated 

 principally by ESSA, is an example of a civil 

 program that satisfies both military and civil 

 requirements. This program provides upper-air 

 meteorological data to the Nation's basic meteoro- 

 logical service (civil) as well as the corresponding 

 military programs. As additional planned services 

 to civil users are implemented, many of the 

 products of the civil agency will meet such 

 conmion requirements. This will free some miU- 

 tary resources to concentrate on requirements 

 unique to military operations. 



Until services to civil users have been expanded, 

 products designed for military users which are 

 appropriate and can be made available will be used 

 to meet requirements of civil users. This use of 

 miUtary products wiU be "ad interim" except in 

 those cases where common requirements can be 

 met most effectively and economically by their 

 continued use. 



The basic data collection network would be a 

 joint operation in this sense, although miUtary and 

 civil data coUection stations would be operated. 

 Thus data collected aboard naval vessels would be 

 available to the civU agencies, and data collected 



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