We are about to begin the inexorable climb in solar activity of the new Cycle 24, with the next solar maximum coming in 2011 to 2012. Since the last maximum in 2000, our society has become more dependent on GPS and satellites for myriad applications, and trans-polar flights are on a steady increase, raising the potential for hazardous radiation exposure for passengers and crews. The National Space Weather Program (NSWP) is a federal government initiative within the coordinating infrastructure of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM). The goal of the NSWP is to speed improvement of space weather products and services through research, transition of research to operations, and improvements in operational capability to better prepare the U.S. for the effects of space weather on technological systems, activities, and human health. The National Space Weather Program Council, through its Committee for Space Weather (CSW), continues to address the recommendations of the OFCM-sponsored Independent Assessment Committee for the NSWP published in 2006, including preparation of a new Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan. In addition, the CSW prepared a disaster reduction implementation plan as part of the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction portfolio of grand challenges in disaster reduction. The OFCM and the CSW continue to facilitate conferences, symposia, and similar activities to advance the program and raise awareness of space weather effects on our society.