A Brief History of the Range Commanders Council Meteorology Group

The Range Commanders Council (RCC) serves the technical and operational needs of United States military and NASA test, training, and operational ranges through the identification of common needs, establishment of technical standards, and assessment of advanced concepts and technical innovations for potential future application. The Meteorology Group (MG), one of 12 standing groups currently within the RCC, seeks to improve the capability of range meteorological agencies to define the effects of environmental parameters on marine, missile, and aerospace systems, and works to better the instrumentation and techniques used to measure and predict these effects. This presentation will provide a brief historical overview of the RCC-MG and the contributions the group has made to various efforts of interest to the greater meteorological community over the course of its nearly seven decades of existence. Highlights of early meetings, membership evolution, and group function challenges will be given. Additionally, the primary focus areas of the RCC-MG during its history (upper air measurements, instrumentation, and range support capabilities) will be covered. The presentation will conclude with some interesting tidbits gleaned from the archive of RCC-MG meeting minutes as well as a summary of projects being undertaken presently by the group.