NWSA Website -How Hot is it in Djibouti? Aerographer’s Mate 1st Class (AW) Paul Stimson and AG1 (AW/SW) Christian Zwiegel

Naval Weather Service Association

How Hot is it in Djibouti? Two-Man Weather Team Knows
Story Number: NNS070322-07
Release Date: 3/22/2007 5:13:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mary Popejoy, CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (NNS) -- To keep the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa staff up to speed on weather changes, two Sailors from the meteorological and oceanographic department took center stage March 17 in the Joint Operating Center to answer the ever-common question: How hot is it going to get today? For them, the answer in Africa is almost always the same: Pretty hot.

Aerographer’s Mate 1st Class (AW) Paul Stimson and AG1 (AW/SW) Christian Zwiegel spend approximately 20 hours a day gathering weather data for the confirmation, Joint Operating Center and pilot weather briefs, as well as performing monthly maintenance on equipment vital to providing accurate weather data.

“Weather plays into all facets of naval planning and operations,” said Stimson. “If they’re going to land troops some place it’s going to affect movement and if someone is trying to fly into somewhere and there’s turbulence, thunderstorms or icing, the possibility of flying into that area would be difficult or not feasible depending on the circumstances.”

“By providing weather updates they are better able to prepare themselves for their upcoming trip,” he said.

For Stimson, being a part of the weather team is a pretty straightforward job with long hours, but in the end he knows the data he collects is invaluable.

“It’s easy to be the weather guy in Djibouti, Africa, because nothing really happens here, but we’re responsible for forecasting weather for an area two-thirds the size of the continental U.S.,” he said. “If nothing changes here, we’re still busy forecasting for the other places because they depend on us to provide them that data.”

At the end of the day, the weather around Africa may not be first and foremost on people’s minds, but Zwiegel knows that without them, missions would cease to exist.

“Without us, people would be going blind into an area and, depending on the environment, it could make matters worse, vice better,” he said. “We’re an important part of HOA and we’re happy to be here and provide a much needed service,” he said.

And the pilots who fly in and out of Djibouti are grateful as well.

“We wouldn’t go without it, so they’re an important piece of the puzzle here,” said Air Force Capt. Julius Romasanta, 449th Air Expeditionary Group.

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa is a unit of United States Central Command. The organization conducts operations and training to assist partner nations to combat terrorism in order to establish a secure environment and enable regional stability. More than 1,500 people from each branch of the U.S. military, civilian employees, Coalition forces and partner nations make up the CJTF-HOA organization. The area of responsibility for CJTF-HOA includes the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

For more news from around the fleet, visit www.navy.mil.