A Century of Symbiosis between Applied Meteorology and National Security (Invited Presentation)

Applied meteorology has made astounding progress since the early 20^th century. Some of that progress is associated directly with achievements in national security. For example, the story of the momentous D-Day forecast is familiar to many of us, and with a little prompting we might also recall that early generations of computers with their expansive banks of vacuum tubes not only decrypted military communications, they made the first numerical weather predictions. The rich, symbiotic relationship between national security and applied meteorology is even more pervasive than is apparent from these and similar historical anecdotes, fascinating as they are. This presentation will review highlights of how national security interests have shaped, and been shaped by, the field’s institutions and people, the technology and techniques we use, the funding on which we rely, and elements of our scientific culture itself.