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  • Photo of a tornado near Traer, Iowa.

    Tackling Tornadoes Takes Teamwork

    Across military operations, weather influences the entire spectrum of planning to execution. From carrier groups routing around typhoons to installations evacuating aircraft in advance of a hurricane, weather drives human behavior daily. Within the 557th Weather Wing, forecasters are preparing now to alert units of potential severe weather this
  • Photo of Lt. Col. Heidi Schiano, 2d Systems Operations Squadron commander.

    Embracing the work-life challenge

    March is Women’s History Month and the 2d Weather Group would like to highlight the current commander of the 2d Systems Operations Squadron.Lt. Col. Heidi Schiano claims Langley AFB, Virginia, as her home but like many Air Force “brats,” she struggles to identify exactly where her hometown is located.Growing up, Schiano learned about dedication and
  • U.S. Air Force Senior Airmen Sergio Porto-Duarte, far left, 776th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron weather forecaster, Master Sgt. Melissa Thomas, center, 776th EABS weather flight chief, and Airman 1st Class Marisa Paʻaʻāina, right, 776th EABS weather forecaster, pose for a photo on a C-130 from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 20, 2021.

    Storm Chasers of Africa

    Air Superiority is proven vital for success in Air Force operations, and the Airmen at the 776th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron provides accurate weather forecasts enabling aircraft to maintain air superiority.
  • Col. Michael Marsicek, (right), assumes command of the 2nd Weather Group from Col. Brian Pukall (left), 557th Weather Wing commander, during a change of command ceremony at the 557th WW headquarters building, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, June 24, 2020.

    2nd WXG holds change of command

    The 2nd Weather Group held a change of command ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, June 24, 2020.Col. Patrick Williams relinquished command to Col. Michael Marsicek in a ceremony presided by Col. Brian Pukall, 557th Weather Wing commander.“Thank you Pat, for your leadership in the 2nd WXG over the last couple years,” Pukall said. “And I’ll
  • A laptop, tactical radio, satellite antenna and carrying cases sitting outside.

    2nd CWSS narrows Air Force Weather’s first-in communications gap

    Members from Air Force Weather and Special Operations communities gathered at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, Feb. 20, to test a first-in communications capability with potential for the global Air Force mission. Joint Special Operations Command, 2nd Combat Weather Systems Squadron, 18th Weather Squadron and 16th Weather Squadron verified the ability of Defense Department satellite communication networks to operate with Project Bat Phone, a first-in communications system that pairs innovative information delivery software with off-the-shelf computers and military radios to deliver key advantages in first-in and contested, degraded and operationally-limited environments, known as CDO environments. Initial efforts had employed the PRC-117G tactical radio to do line-of-sight tests using high frequency radio transmission, validating the software’s capabilities to transmit environmental intelligence while overcoming issues inherent to wireless communication, including latency and data packet loss.
  • Group photo of 16th Weather Squadron members from above.

    Cyber Evolution: 16th WS

    The 16th Weather Squadron is leading the way, reorganizing to become the 557th Weather Wing’s dedicated software and innovation squadron, a move that will generate new insights on environmental intelligence for combatant commanders around the globe. When complete, the reorganization will reinforce 16th WS’s culture of science and technological innovation and warfighter ethos, contributing to the National Defense Strategy’s line of effort to reform the Defense Department for greater lethality and performance.
  • Staff Sgt. Kalynn Mitchell using a sewing machine.

    Made with love in Australia by a 2nd WS Airman

    A 2nd Weather Squadron Airman stationed in Australia is crafting hope in her local community in the midst of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Staff Sgt. Kalynn Mitchell, a 2nd WS solar analyst at Learmonth Solar Observatory in Exmouth, Western Australia, is using her sewing machine and fabric from a local hardware store to create face masks for medical workers and others at risk in the community. “I think the world needs hope,” said Capt. Ustem Nu, 2nd WS Detachment 1 commander. “Every day we see the news about more and more people dying or people not caring. It can be overwhelming and disheartening at times. What Staff Sgt. Mitchell is doing, whether she realizes it or not, is giving hope to people.”
  • Tech. Sgt. Matthew O'Neill working at a computer.

    557th WW integrating with 16th AF missions

    The 557th Weather Wing is working to integrate its strengths into the recently formed 16th Air Force, which brought intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber, electronic warfare, information operations and weather all under one roof. Integration is a key theme for the Air Force’s first information warfare numbered air force. The 557th’s efforts both reinforce the value of the wing’s existing missions, such as providing weather for aviation, but also offer new opportunities for the wing to increase lethality in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions of other 16th AF wings. “The realignment of the 557th WW into the information warfare numbered air force will have a profound effect on the future of weather and environmental intelligence operations, and we intend to bring that future fast,” said Jeffrey Fries, 1st Weather Group chief of operations standards and tactics.
  • Airman showing young girl a paper airplane.

    Weather Airmen share mission at Rose Bowl event

    As people prepared to celebrate the New Year’s holiday, five Airmen from units across the 557th Weather Wing journeyed to Pasadena, California. Their mission was to tell the Air Force Weather story at Live on Green!, a free entertainment and education event that precedes the annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl football game. “This event enabled our diverse team of Airmen to educate the public about roles and capabilities within Air Force Weather,” said Capt. Jeremy Mayo-Johnson, 14th Weather Squadron climate development analyst and team lead at the event. “We were able to show people of all ages that meteorologists can be more than just weathermen on TV and that the Air Force has a wide variety of career opportunities.”Live on Green!, now in its fifth year, offers entertainment and education to the 700,000 people who visit Pasadena for the annual parade and football game. Activities offered include musical performances, culinary demos, games and more.
  • Airmen from the 25th Operational Weather Squadron (OWS) train on a Portable Doppler Radar with instructors from the 2nd Combat Weather Systems Squadron as part of a Deployed Weather Systems Training class Aug. 20, 2019, at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The class was comprised entirely of 25th OWS Airmen as 557th Weather Wing units are being tasked to execute a greater number of deployment requirements. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua-James Patrick)

    557th WW trains its own to deploy anytime, everywhere

    Instructors from the 2nd Combat Weather Systems Squadron took on an unusual set of students, a class composed entirely of Airmen from a single unit. Airmen from the 25th Operational Weather Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, attended the Deployed Weather Systems Training class at Hurlburt Field, Florida, as part of pre-deployment training Aug. 19-22, 2019. It is unusual to have a DWST class made up entirely of personnel from one unit. Classes are normally made up of students from several different weather squadrons but as the 557th WW is tasked to execute a greater number of deployment requirements, future DWST classes made up of one squadron may become more common. The 2nd CWSS is a combat-ready test and training squadron that combines maintenance, cyber and weather specialties, within the 557th Weather Wing, that cultivates advanced maintenance skills and operational expertise among its members for use on fielded tactical weather systems employed at downrange locations.
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