For over 35 years, Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) has relied on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) to provide tailored support to the Intelligence Community. Since that beginning, strategic-level weather support reliant on DMSP data has evolved to support multiple and diverse military operations such as tactical operations in data sparse regions, strategic airlift operations through active volcanic regions, special operations in remote snow-covered terrain, and satellite operations impacted by the space environment.

AFWA is now preparing to usher in a new era. AFWA is installing equipment and modifying internal systems for the transition to the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), which will include the assimilation of higher resolution, multi-spectral data into tropospheric and space environment models to support improved situational awareness and decision-making for the warfighter in ground, air, and space operations.