The 3rd Combat Weather Squadron (3 CWS) is a unit of the
United States Air Force. It was formed at Barksdale Field (now
Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...
), Louisiana, on 24 June 1937, as part of the Signal Corps. The 3rd was one of three original squadrons that eventually transferred from the Signal Corps to the Air Corps. Currently located at West
Fort Hood, the 3rd Combat Weather Squadron is aligned under the 3rd Air Support Operations Group. Weather support to Fort Hood began in 1947 at the newly constructed Killeen AFB. Today, the 3rd Combat Weather Squadron—in addition to providing weather support to the Fort Hood complex—has operating locations at Forts Bliss, Huachuca, Riley, and Sill in Texas, Arizona, Kansas, and Oklahoma, respectively.
The 3rd Combat Weather Squadron is currently the largest base- or post-level weather unit in the Air Force. The support provided by the squadron is as diverse as its history and that of the Army customers it supports. The squadron maintains a 24-hour observing and forecasting section at
Robert Gray Army Airfield
Robert Gray Army Airfield is a military joint-use airport that operates alongside Killeen–Fort Hood Regional Airport. The airport is based inside the south end of the Fort Hood Military Reservation (West Fort Hood), six nautical miles (7& ...
with extended observing hours at
Hood Army Airfield
Hood Army Airfield is a military airport located at the U.S. Army's Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, U.S.
Facilities
Hood Army Airfield has a single asphalt runway, identified as 16/34. In the 16 direction, the threshold is displaced by , result ...
.
The squadron patch is Walt Disney's Cupid which was sold to the unit for one US dollar during World War II, in efforts to raise troop morale.
Combat Weather Teams
There are five Combat Weather Teams (CWTs) that support the following Army units at Fort Hood:
*
III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to:
France
* 3rd Army Corps (France)
* III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...
.
*
1st Cavalry Division.
* 1st Cavalry Aviation Brigade.
*
4th Infantry Division (Mechanized).
* 4th Infantry Aviation Brigade.
Operations in Iraq
On 13 December 2003, 4ID combat weather forecasters produced planning and mission execution forecasts for
Operation Red Dawn, which led to successful capture of
Saddam Hussein.
See also
*
List of United States Air Force weather squadrons
The United States Air Force has several types of weather squadrons.
Weather Squadrons
Operational Weather Squadrons
Weather Reconnaissance Squadrons
Miscellaneous Weather Squadrons
See also
* List of United States Air Force squa ...
References
*This article contains information that originally came from Military Intelligence Bulletin, in the public domain from https://fas.org/irp/agency/army/tradoc/usaic/mipb/1997-4/MSGkooyman.htm
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Military units and formations established in 1937