This summer, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) will host two U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) midshipmen (MIDN) and one cadet from the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) and U.S. Military Academy (USMA) as Tropical Cyclone (TC) research interns during the second annual joint services summer internship.

"The JTWC Academies Internship brings together students from the national academies to learn to work together on real-world operational issues at the intersection of earth science and decision-making. I hope this program has a lasting impact on our next generation of officers training to be scientist-leaders, tasked with the most complex issues of our day," said JTWC Training Department Head Mr. Owen Shieh.

The inaugural internship during summer 2017, hosted four cadets and MIDN undergraduates who conducted research relating to TCs and learned about the impacts of environmental prediction on national security. During last year's internship, two USNA MIDN second class (2/C) , one USAFA cadet first class (C1C), and one USMA cadet first class (CDT) were selected by their respective academies to participate based on their declared undergraduate degree, grades and desire to research environmental topics.

MIDN 2/C Renee Loucks and CDT Eugeen Yoon investigated the meteorological and economic impacts of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on communities in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, respectively. ENSO causes increased TC endurance due to warmer water in the Central Pacific, typically moving the genesis region east.

C1C Shelby Fatcheric compared the official JTWC best track records of TC intensity with intensities derived from satellite scatterometers; these sensors measure small ripples on the ocean surface and then relate them to over-ocean wind speeds, so understanding quality of data received from passive scatterometers could provide a valuable asset in the observation-sparse open waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Finally, MIDN 2/C Erin Torrez explored whether TCs in the South Pacific are more prone to forecast errors and the reasoning behind the errors, which ultimately would inform further research that seeks to improve TC track and intensity forecasts.

The students visited nearby commands, such as the Air Force's 17th Operational Weather Squadron, the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies and PACOM, to learn more about the different responsibilities of each military branch with regard to forecasting and resource protection in the AOR which covers more than 100 million square miles in both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The officer candidates also visited the National Weather Services' Central Pacific Hurricane Center and Weather Forecast Office in Honolulu as well as the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, where they learned about the importance of civil-military partnerships and information sharing.

"I'm very excited that these students were able to experience several operational commands in Pearl Harbor. The contributions that JTWC and the Naval Oceanography community make to the safety of all U.S. assets in the Pacific and Indian Oceans were experienced first-hand by these future military leaders. We also were able to provide them a better understanding of the asymmetric advantage provided by the Information Warfare Community writ large," said JTWC Commanding Officer Cmdr. Jillene Bushnell.

The cadets and MIDN presented their preliminary findings and a prospectus for further research in a public forum during their last week at JTWC. They have continued their research as senior capstone projects and will back brief JTWC on their findings once complete. C1C Fatcheric also presented her research in a poster session at the American Meteorological Society's 98th Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, in January 2018.

The JTWC Academies Internship complements other outreach efforts by JTWC to strengthen local and international cooperation as well as educate others on tropical cyclone impacts. Other outreach opportunities have included hosting an elective for the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies' Comprehensive Crisis Management course, coordination and exercising with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and providing lectures to NOAA's Pacific International Training Desk (a program for residents of smaller Southern Pacific islands to learn about JTWC's forecasting and products).

JTWC provides tropical cyclone reconnaissance, forecast, safety warning and decision support services for operational advantage to U.S. government agencies operating in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

JTWC also provides tsunami advisory information and recommendations to shore installations and units, as well as impact forecasts for U.S. Pacific Fleet's airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and decision support services to U.S. Pacific Command and its subordinate commands, as directed.

JTWC is jointly staffed by U.S. Navy and Air Force personnel and falls under the operational control of Commander, Task Force 80.7-Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. U.S. Air Force personnel are sourced to JTWC by the 17th Operational Weather Squadron, a subordinate squadron of the 557th Weather Wing.

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