Air Force weather technician trains observers in remote Afghan outpost

Published Jan. 10, 2007
By Capt. Joe Campbell
Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- An Air Force Battlefield Weather Airman assigned to work with Army aviation units spent two days here training members of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team to report weather observations.

Senior Airman Nathan Fried, 20th Expeditionary Air Support and Operations Squadron at Bagram Airfield, trained Panjshir PRT members Jan. 4 and 5 to determine the temperature, dew point, barometric pressure, wind speed, cloud cover, road conditions and present weather in the province.

"Traveling to remote locations to conduct training helps me gain a better perspective in terms of the terrain and to see for myself what the observers see," said Airman Fried, deployed from Fort Drum, New York.

With limited data across the entire Area of Responsibility, these daily reports are very useful for personnel traveling to those regions, he said.

"We'll make three observations a day, every day, using a handheld device that measures temperature, dew point, pressure and wind speed," said Technical Sgt. John Cumper, a Panjshir PRT member deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada as a vehicle mechanic.

The observers e-mail the data to Airman Fried or another staff weather officer at Bagram Airfield. The SWO then completes a Forward Area Limited Observation Program form and releases the information to be used by aviators and mission planners.

"The observations in Panjshir will be provided three times a day instead of hourly, so the information provided is very limited but it's typically enough to tell us what it's like up there," said Airman Fried.

The FALOPs are useful for both ground convoy and aviation assets. Wind conditions, visibility and cloud cover are parameters that pilots need to know before a mission and road conditions, present weather and temperature are useful for convoys too, he said.

"The Panjshir PRT conducts numerous missions in remote areas during
inclement weather, as well as hosting visitors who arrive by
helicopter," Lt. Col. Neal Kringel, Panjshir PRT
commander. "Having our own weather station enhances our ability to get
accurate forecasts and make sound decisions on operational missions."