Annex E. International Armaments Strategy
Army Science and Technology Master Plan (ASTMP 1997)

I. Atmospheric and Terrestrial Sciences

The proliferation of sensing satellites, ground weather collections sites, and advances in modeling and simulation have brought about a significant capability to predict local and regional weather. Much remains to be done to provide the needed lower atmospheric data to support the rapid increase of smart and brilliant weapons whose operation can be affected by weather phenomena. The US and Russia have been sharing space solar flare radiation data which has aided in better prediction of communication and GPS navigation variances due to atmospheric scintillation in the equatorial and polar regions of the world. Many countries have focused their weather development programs on regional issues, such as Japan in pollution monitoring of tropical cyclones. Results of these efforts will have multiple applications across the full spectrum of weather modeling and prediction. The flow of both weather data and research information to all members of the World Meteorological Organization is well established and for the foreseeable future this collaboration will continue. It can be anticipated that some of these research efforts will provide solutions directly to current Army needs.

Most of the industrialized countries have capabilities in certain niches of these technology areas. As Table E.III-8 shows, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia have the widest technology coverage, while Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Brazil, Israel, and China have narrower coverage.

Table E.III-8. Atmospheric and Terrestrial Sciences