Weather-Modification[Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025 A Research Paper Presented to Air Force 2025 by Col Tamzy J. House Lt Col James B. Near, Jr. LTC William B. Shields (USA) Maj Ronald J. Celentano Maj David M. Husband Maj Ann E. Mercer Maj James E. Pugh August]

DEGRADE ENEMY FORCES ENHANCE FRIENDLY FORCES

Precipitation Enhancement Precipitation Avoidance

- Flood Lines of Communication Maintain/Improve LOC

- Reduce PGM/Recce Effectiveness - Maintain Visibility

- Decrease Comfort Level/Morale - Maintain Comfort Level/Morale Storm Enhancement Storm Modification
- Deny Operations - Choose Battlespace Environment Precipitation Denial Space Weather
- Deny Fresh Water - Improve Communication Reliability
- Induce Drought - Intercept Enemy Transmissions Space Weather
- Revitalize Space Assets
- Disrupt Communications/Radar
- Disable/Destroy Space Assets Fog and Cloud Generation
- Increase Concealment Fog and Cloud Removal Fog and Cloud Removal
- Deny Concealment - Maintain Airfield Operations
- Increase Vulnerability to PGM/Recce - Enhance  PGM Effectiveness Detect Hostile Weather Activities Defend against Enemy Capabilities
Current technologies that will mature over the next 30 years will offer anyone who has the necessary
resources the ability to modify weather patterns and their corresponding effects, at least on the local scale. Current demographic, economic, and environmental trends will create global stresses that provide theimpetus necessary for many countries or groups to turn this weather-modification ability into a capability.
In the United States, weather-modification will likely become a part of national security policy with
both domestic and international applications. Our government will pursue such a policy, depending on its
interests, at various levels. These levels could include unilateral actions, participation in a security
framework such as NATO, membership in an international organization such as the UN, or participation in a
coalition. Assuming that in 2025 our national security strategy includes weather-modification, its use in our national military strategy will naturally follow. Besides the significant benefits an operational capability
would provide, another motivation to pursue weather-modification is to deter and counter potential adversaries.
viii In this paper we show that appropriate application of weather-modification can provide battlespace dominance to a degree never before imagined. In the future, such operations will enhance air and space superiority and provide new options for battlespace shaping and battlespace awareness.1 “The technology is there, waiting for us to pull it all together;”2 in 2025 we can “Own the Weather.”