In today’s battlefields in Afghanistan, weather continues to
influence military operations. So decision makers at all levels
rely on Airmen at the 19th Expeditionary Weather Squadron at
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, for timely and accurate weather
forecasts. Weather Airmen observe and project weather patterns,
and lives could depend on their predictions, so getting it right
is a tall order. (U.S. Air Force video/AFCENT Combat Camera)
Weather has had an impact on key military battles and campaigns
throughout history. Military leaders who took weather events and
patterns into account before a battle typically fared better
than those who ignored them. Napoleon invaded Russia with an
ill-equipped force, and the Russian winter of 1812 stopped his
Grand Armee’s attack, losing half of his troops in the process.
During World War II, Hitler was so confident of his invasion of
Russia, he didn’t even prepare for the possibility of the brutal
winter’s effect on combat. His army lost almost 25 percent of
its average stren