Combat Weather Pages

• Weather Initial Skills Training is 6 months long, focusing on the physics, thermodynamics and atmospheric dynamics associated with the movement of air and moisture in the atmosphere. Students are provided detailed information on how to forecast based on the physics and dynamics observed and reported via weather observations and computer model data. It's very intensive academically, often compared to earning a 4 year degree in operational meteorology in 6 months. When I went, I started with a class of 14 students. When I graduated, only 2 of us were from our original class. We'd also had folks who washed back into our class, and washed back from our class into the next class behind us. Not all of our losses were academic failures or problems, but the majority were.

  Here is what the pipeline will be starting in Oct 07:

  The following pipeline begins Oct 2007 for all Non-Prior Service and cross-trainees (includes officers):

  Basic Training (BMTS)

  Combat Control Orientation Course (CCOC)
  Weather Initial Skills Training (ISC) or Weather Officer Course (WOC) (Officers require a meteorology degree or attendance at an Air Force approved course of study in operational meteorology)
  Airborne School
  Survival School
  Water Survival School
  Combat Control School (CCS - Award 3 Level in 1W0X1C)
  Special Tactics Advanced Skills Training (AST)
  PCA to 10 CWS at Hurlburt Field, Florida
  
  
  For personnel already serving as 1W0X1 looking to become 1W0X1C, mandatory training/requirements prior to assignment includes:
  
  Volunteer through your chain of command to AFSOC/A3W (CMSgt Perkins)
  IFC III flight physical
  Airborne School
  Survival School
  Water Survival School
  Eligibility for Secret Clearance
  Possess a current official passport
  Prepared to attend follow-on schools upon assignment (CCS and AST)
  
  Not all personnel will go to HALO or SCUBA, especially not at first. The SOWT approach to these schools is similar to Army Special Forces Teams (ODAs). Our folks get familiar with their basic skills first, then as required by mission, assignment or alignment with a specific Army, Navy or Marine element, they attend these schools. Most SOWT will attend HALO early in their career, while a much smaller percentage attend SCUBA. Special Operations Weather Teams rarely, if ever, are assigned to conventional Army units, though the Air Force does maintain jump qualified personnel that are assigned to such units as the 82nd Airborne Division, 18th Airborne Corps, 101st Airborne Division and 173rd SETAF. While the training standards and requirements are different, these personnel are extremely well trained and often find themselves on the battlefield with their Army counterparts.

• Combat Weather Guide (Word Document)
  Excellent guide!
• Weather Parachutists Association
• Combat Weather Fact Sheet (AFSOC)
• Weather Careerfield Description
  Air Force Description of the CWX careerfield.
• Weather Eligibility
  Eligibility requirements for the Weather careerfield.
• Weather mission
  Weather mission as it relates to different assignments.
• Weather Overview
  Overview of the weather careerfield.
• Picture Gallery
• Combat Weather FAQ
• Combat Weather Article
  
  Combat Weather Links:
• Official AFSOC Combat Weather Site
• The "Unofficial...official" Combat Weather Site