Mission Need

On June 6, 1944, the fate of World War II turned on a weather forecast. German commanders believed the storm in the English Channel made an invasion impossible. But Allied meteorologists predicted a short break in the weather—just long enough to launch the D-Day landings. Their forecast proved right, and history changed.

That story underscores a timeless truth: weather shapes war. Today, every mission still depends on accurate, immediate weather intelligence. From stealth bombers seeking cloud cover to tank commanders deciding whether days of rain will turn battlefields into mud, weather dictates strategy, safety and success. Even lasers used in targeting systems may falter if there’s too much moisture in the air. The challenge for the U.S. Air Force is immense: its weather enterprise processes up to seven petabytes of data daily (that is the equivalent of 3.4 years of HD video), pulling from global sensors and international partners. Data is then moved to multiple higher enclaves for integration with critical mission applications that require near real-time data for execution. Delivering that intelligence without delay is no longer optional—it’s mission-essential.

Solution

To meet that demand, the Air Force turned to SAIC under the Technology Applications Development and Sustainment (TADS) contract. From Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, the Air Force Weather center operates 24/7, 365 days a year, supporting American and allied operations around the globe. SAIC’s mission is to keep that enterprise running strong and to modernize it for the future.

SAIC teams deliver return-to-service and corrective maintenance, systems engineering and integration, and long-term sustainment. SAIC has reduced systemic issues and created shared team ownership of operations by building a cross-functional workforce of specialists, who take turns covering 24/7 on-call to ensure shared ownership across the entire systems without handoffs. By combining agile and lean practices, empowering teams, and adopting DevSecOps approaches, SAIC has helped the Air Force weather enterprise move faster and smarter. Service calls have dropped 15% year over year as issues are solved more quickly, and systems perform more reliably. When cyber security engineers integrated into teams modernizing the legacy data center, it proved a game changer for the Weather Wing and allowed them to successfully pass an in-depth CORA review.

As data volume has exploded, SAIC ensures it never slows the mission. Lightning strike databases refresh every second. Forecasting models ingest massive streams of information in real time. Complex data is transformed instantly into actionable insights.

Mission Impact

Thanks to these efforts, the Air Force is now running smoother than ever, with quick rollouts and reliable weather processing. Upgrading the Visual Weather software was a game-changer, bringing in better features and making it much easier for teams to analyze and access weather data. Cybersecurity also got a big boost. Implementation of a new identity management system fortified access thresholds, making data handling both secure and efficient.

Infrastructure upgrades have really paid off as well. By swapping out service management systems, the Air Force saved nearly $1 million a year. Plus, the integration of threat detection and response tools saved another estimated 100 hours a year and $95K annually, all while improving cyber compliance and operations.

These wins show that the Air Force, with SAIC’s support, excels at keeping systems up to date, strengthening cybersecurity, and streamlining processes. This means the Air Force can provide top-notch weather support for operations worldwide. Commanders across the globe can now plan with confidence, pilots know whether clouds will hide or reveal them and ground forces can figure out if the terrain will support their tanks or become a quagmire. This means every decision is sharper, risks are clearer and missions are safer.

Just like the accurate weather forecasts that gave the Allies a critical edge on D-Day, today’s precise weather intelligence, powered by the TADS team's efforts, gives the U.S. military a significant advantage. With SAIC as a partner, the Air Force has built a weather system that's fast, resilient and ready—making sure that when the forecast is crucial, America’s forces have the upper hand.

“The team’s performance on the CORA inspection/remediation was exemplary, and it has resulted in the best cyber security posture in Air Force Weather enterprise history” Alex Mueller, AFLCMC Inc 4 Program Manager