All aspects of military operations are affected to some degree by the weather and all of these operations can benefit from more accurate and timely prediction. For example, aerial refueling is affected by atmospheric turbulence, ground maneuver is affected by precipitation, and cloud cover affects strategic bombing. Other high profile systems affected by weather include the Airborne Laser and Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle as well as most electro-optical weapons. More accurate weather prediction leads to more efficient and effective operations saving lives and helping to ensure mission success.

The principal objective of this project is to determine the optimal configurations of the Air Force Weather Weapon System's (AFWWS) next generation mesoscale numerical weather prediction model (the Weather Research and Forecast Model--WRF) for application under various weather regimes. The mesoscale modeling system at the Air Force Weather's strategic center (AFWA) is a key support component to forces worldwide. The center delivers worldwide weather forecasts to Air Force and Army war fighters, unified commands, National Intelligence Community, and the President and Secretary of Defense. The WRF system currently under development will replace AFWA's existing mesoscale model system in 2005. Prior to operational implementation, it is incumbent upon AFWA to determine the optimal combinations of physics packages to ensure the most accurate prediction is attained in the most timely fashion for any place on the globe. To that end, thousands of WRF forecasts were generated using eight permutations of physics options in seven regions around the world to select the combination(s) slated for implementation into operations in 2005.