The 2017 Space Weather Enterprise Forum, held June 27, focused on the vital role of partnerships in order to establish an effective and successful national space weather program. Experts and users from the many government agencies, industry, academia, and policy makers gathered to discuss space weather impacts and mitigation strategies, the relevant services and supporting infrastructure, and the vital role cross-cutting partnerships must play for successful implementation of the National Space Weather Action Plan

Giles, Barbara L.

Spann, James F.

NASA Technical Reports Server

Partnerships form the basis for implementing
a National Space Weather Plan
James F. Spann1 and Barbara L. Giles2
1NASAMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA, 2NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
Abstract The 2017 Space Weather Enterprise Forum, held June 27, focused on the vital role of
partnerships in order to establish an effective and successful national space weather program. Experts and
users from the many government agencies, industry, academia, and policy makers gathered to discuss space
weather impacts and mitigation strategies, the relevant services and supporting infrastructure, and the vital
role cross-cutting partnerships must play for successful implementation of the National Space Weather
Action Plan.
Plain Language Summary The 2017 Space Weather Enterprise Forum, held June 27, focused on
the vital role of partnerships in order to establish an effective and successful national space weather
program. Experts and users from the many government agencies, industry, academia, and policy makers,
gathered to discuss space weather impacts and mitigation strategies, the relevant services and supporting
infrastructure, and the vital role cross-cutting partnerships must play for successful implementation of the
National Space Weather Action Plan.
“Space Weather is a team sport,” declared Mr. Ralph Stofﬂer, Director of Weather, U.S. Air Force, at the annual
Space Weather Enterprise Forum (SWEF) held 27 June 2017 in Washington DC. This sentiment was shown to
be widely held, as it was echoed throughout the day by experts and users from the many government agen-
cies, industry, academia, and policy makers, who gathered to discuss space weather impacts and mitigation
strategies, the relevant services and supporting infrastructure, and the vital role cross-cutting partnerships
must play for successful implementation of the National Space Weather Action Plan.
The space weather community is buoyed by current bipartisan support for space weather awareness as evi-
denced by (1) the presidential executive order of 13 October 2016 (https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/
the-press-ofﬁce/2016/10/13/executive-order-coordinating-efforts-prepare-nation-space-weather-events)
that coordinates agency efforts to prepare the nation for space weather events, (2) the 2 May 2017 unani-
mous passing of Senate Bill S.141—Space Weather Research and Forecast Act (https://www.congress.gov/
bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/141), and (3) the similar House Bill introduced the same day as the SWEF.
A sense of realism was expressed by the key agencies tasked with space weather efforts, recognizing that
there is still much to do. A fully operational space weather program is currently at “about 5%” offered
Dr. Louis Uccellini, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Service and Director, National Weather
Service, nevertheless, “the operational level has a positive gradient—so it is a positive time. The mark of lea-
dership is to maintain the gradient positive,” added Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s Associate Administrator
for the Science Mission Directorate.
The need for a coordinated space weather program was well expressed by Major General Scott Vander
Hamm, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations Headquarters U.S. Air Force, when he shared two historical
vignettes: the 23 May 1967 incident, when a confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was
averted due to recognition that a high-frequency communication blackout over the North Pole was caused
by a solar ﬂare and not enemy action [Knipp et al., 2016] and the March 2002 episode at Roberts Ridge in
Afghanistan where seven special service troops lost their lives due to communication failures that were likely
caused by ionospheric disturbances [Kelly et al., 2014]. These are two stark examples of the importance of
having a robust operation space weather program. His personal testimony as a pilot on U.S. Air Force ﬂight
missions with conventional and nuclear weapons, some lasting 32 h, is that he found himself “in precarious
and uncomfortable situations because of GPS [signal] degradation.”
The need for collaboration in space weather is broad and global. “As we look to the future, are we ready for
the space weather storm when it comes? Its impact will not be lessened by its delay. It will take an effort from
SPANN AND GILES 2017 SWEF MEETING REPORT 972
PUBLICATIONS
Space Weather
MEETING REPORT
10.1002/2017SW001688
Key Points:
• Space Weather requires partnerships
between government, industry, and
academia
• Space weather awareness is growing
and has congressional bipartisan
support
• Operational space weather is
established, but has a long way to go
to becoming fully operational.
Citation:
Spann, J. F., and B. L. Giles (2017),
Partnerships form the basis for imple-
menting a National Space Weather Plan,
Space Weather, 15, 972–973,
doi:10.1002/2017SW001688.
Received 11 JUL 2017
Accepted 12 JUL 2017
Accepted article online 14 JUL 2017
Published online 10 AUG 2017
Published 2017. This article is a U.S.
Government work and is in the public
domain in the USA.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20180001575 2019-08-31T16:28:59+00:00Z
all of us. Our sponsors need to be aware of the value that we bring to the problem.” concluded
NOAA’s Dr. Stephen Volz, Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction.
Dr. Bill Easterling, the NSF Assistant Director Geosciences, noted, “Space weather impacts don’t respect
political boundaries. Space weather is a global, around the clock challenge.”
A portion of the SWEF was devoted to the status of the National Space Weather Action Plan (https://obama-
whitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/ﬁles/microsites/ostp/ﬁnal_nationalspaceweatherstrategy_20151028.
pdf). The federal agencies with lead roles in the SWORM reported that of the six goals composed of 99
actions, 80% are complete or are on track to be completed. This is remarkable, noted Mr. Steve Clarke,
NASA’s Heliophysics Division Director. There has been “great collaboration between all the agencies,”
he added.
Industry and academic leaders shared the importance of a balanced program to address the space weather
needs of the nation. Dr. Sarah Gibson, representing the National Academy Space Studies Board Committee
on Solar and Space Physics, expressed the need for cross-cutting teams with critical mass, diversity, and
expertise to address space weather challenges as conveyed in their report on Heliophysics Science Centers
[National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017]. Members of the American Commercial
Space Weather Association provided examples of how their organization can support the space weather
enterprise including commercial shared launches, innovative technologies, data purchases, tax incentives
for expanding space weather activities, and business-to-business cooperation.
The meeting was concluded with comments from Dr. William Schulz, Director the Ofﬁce of the Federal
Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM). He noted that since its inception in 2007, this is the ﬁrst SWEF for which
there has been a government-approved space weather program. Furthermore, he opinioned that “a little bit
of investment wisely deployed around the world can result in great dividends.”
Mr. Michael Bonadonna, of the OFCM and convener of the 2017 SWEF, summarized the meeting by saying
that “the National Space Weather Strategy recognizes the need to leverage all national capabilities to address
space weather concerns, understand the drivers of space weather, develop operational capabilities, and pre-
pare for and mitigate societal impacts, This can only be achieved through conscientious efforts to foster pri-
vate-public partnerships, civil-military partnerships, domestic and foreign partnerships and a strong
foundation of government, commercial, and academic cooperation.”
There is much to be done for space weather, but based on the indicators presented at the 2017 SWEF, the
support of stakeholders, the commitment of those engaged, and the momentum of action are all positive.
It will be exciting to celebrate the accomplishments of these increasingly solid space weather enterprise
partnerships at next year’s decadal SWEF meeting.
References
Knipp, D. J., et al. (2016), The May 1967 great storm and radio disruption event: Extreme space weather and extraordinary responses,
Space Weather, 14, 614–633, doi:10.1002/2016SW001423.
Kelly, M. A., J. M. Comberiate, E. S. Miller, and L. J. Paxton (2014), Progress toward forecasting of space weather effects on UHF SATCOM after
Operation Anaconda, Space Weather, 12, 601–611, doi:10.1002/2014SW001081.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017), Report Series: Committee on Solar and Space Physics: Heliophysics Science
Centers, The National Academies Press, Washington, D. C., doi:10.17226/24803.
Space Weather 10.1002/2017SW001688
SPANN AND GILES 2017 SWEF MEETING REPORT 973


Partnerships Form the Basis for Implementing a National Space Weather Plan

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