The National Space Weather Partnership (NSWP): Coordinating U.S. Government, Commercial, and Academic Efforts to Improve National Space Weather Capabilities

This paper traces the evolution of the United States National Space Weather Program (NSWP) from early interests in space environmental phenomena and their impact through the culmination of the program in 2015, the establishment of the Space Weather, Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and the broadening of coordination efforts to include U.S. government, industry, academia, and international cooperation. Over its 21-year run, the NSWP facilitated substantial improvements in the capabilities of federal space weather services and fostered broad and enduring partnerships with industry and the academic community within the U.S. and internationally. Under the management of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) a coalition of ten federal agencies worked together from 1994 to 2015 to advance the national space weather enterprise. Following the establishment of the NSTC SWORM Task Force in the White House and the deactivation of the NSWP Council, the agencies now play a supporting role in the national effort as the Federal engagement graduates to a higher level. The paper also summarizes roles of the commercial, and academic National Space Weather Partnership (NSWP), the NSWP managed annual Space Weather Enterprise Forum (SWEF) and international efforts to advance space weather capabilities and prepare for potential impacts to our global technological infrastructures.