26th Operational Weather Squadron The " ' 26th Operational Weather Squadron " ( 26OWS ) , based out of Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana , is the US Air Force meteorological squadron responsible for the Southeastern United States . The current states in the Area of Responsibility ( AOR ) include Kansas , Missouri , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Texas , Louisiana , Mississippi , Tennessee , Alabama , Georgia , Florida , and the Carolinas . Mission . The 26th Operational Weather Squadron is responsible for producing and disseminating mission planning and execution weather analyses , forecasts , and briefings for Air Force , Army , Navy , Marines , Guard , Reserve , USSTRATCOM , and USNORTHCOM forces operating at 134 DoD installations and facilities in those states , providing weather intelligence to protect over 160 billion dollars in assets . The 26th Operational Weather Squadron provides weather forecasts , warnings , and briefings to all Air Force and Army forces operating in the Southeast United States . Formally train airmen to be forecaster apprentices and weather officers . This weather squadron is responsible for base or post forecasting , developing weather products , briefing transient aircrews , and weather warnings for all of their geographical units . Using automatic observing systems located at all military installations and communicating with their weather flights , the squadron is able to ' watch ' the weather in their entire area of responsibility from one central location . The Operational Weather Squadron is the first place a newly schooled weather apprentice will report . At the squadron , working alongside a seasoned weather professional , the forecaster is trained in all aspects of Air Force meteorology , from pilot briefing to tactical forecasting . The current OWS ' s are located at Scott AFB , Hickam AFB , Shaw AFB , and Sembach AFB . The weather squadron works closely with the weather flights and detachments they support to ensure a flawless exchange of weather information necessary to protect lives and resources , and execute the Air Force and Army missions for units assigned to their AOR . Personnel and resources . 26th Operational Weather Squadron ’ s manning consists of active duty and government civilian personnel , and is under the 1st Weather Group , Offutt Air Force Base , Nebraska . Lineage . Activations and inactivations of the 26th Weather Squadron , and 26th Operational Weather Squadrons . Duty assignments . List of duty assignments and parent units from 1945 to present . Emblem . Approved on 3 November 1965 The emblem is symbolic of the squadron and its mission . Against the background of sky , the primary theater of Air Force operations , the blue saltire bearing the arrow crossed by the lightning bolt commemorates the squadron ' s history and organization in September 1943 . The fleur - de - lis and anemometer , emblematic of weather service , with the star compass signifies the unit ' s participation in the weather service global mission . The star compass also denotes the squadron ' s Air Force Outstanding Unit Award . The placement of the stars two and six allude to the squadron ' s numerical designation . History . In response to a request from the commanding general of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics for an assigned weather squadron , the Army Air Forces headquarters constituted today ’ s 26th Operational Weather Squadron on September 30 , 1943 , as the 26th Weather Squadron . The squadron activated on October 10 , 1943 , under the command of Lt Col Chester W . Cecil , Jr . , at Orlando Army Air Base , Florida . In addition to his squadron duties , Colonel Cecil served as the 26th Weather Regional Control Officer and staff weather officer for the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics . Later redesignated the Army Air Forces Tactical Air Center , the School of Applied Tactics was activated on October 16 , 1942 , to train selected officers under simulated combat conditions . More than 840 weather officers attended the Weather Staff Officer course conducted at the School of Applied Tactics during World War II . The Army Air Forces disbanded the 26th Weather Squadron on June 3 , 1944 , and Squadron personnel were transferred in - place to Squadron B , 902nd Army Air Forces Base Unit . The newly independent United States Air Force reconstituted the 26th Weather Squadron on May 18 , 1948 . On June 1 , it activated the 26th at Brookley Air Force Base , near Mobile , Alabama . The Air Force assigned the 26th to the 104th Weather Group , which was later redesignated the 2104th Air Weather Group . The 26th Weather Squadron was soon indirectly supporting Operation VITTLES as Brookley transports , including the limited production C - 74 Globemaster I , began participating in the Berlin Airlift . The 26th Weather Squadron was reassigned to the 2059th Air Weather Wing on October 24 , 1950 , as part of Air Weather Service ’ s restructuring to eliminate the Weather Groups . The 26th Weather Squadron moved its headquarters to Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana , on September 10 , 1951 , in order to align itself with the headquarters of Strategic Air Command ' s Second Air Force at Barksdale for which the 26th had been given functional responsibility under Air Weather Service ' s new organizational scheme . In continuing Air Weather Service reorganizations , the 26th was reassigned to the 2101st Air Weather Group on September 16 , 1951 , and to the 1st Weather Group on April 20 , 1952 . The squadron began its long association with the 3rd Weather Wing on October 8 , 1956 , to which it was assigned until it was inactivated on June 30 , 1972 . The 26th was again activated and assigned to the 3rd Weather Wing on January 1 , 1975 . The 26th continued at Barksdale until the divestiture of Air Weather Service . The squadron was inactivated on July 31 , 1991 . As part of Air Force Weather ' s re - engineering , the squadron was redesignated the 26th Operational Weather Squadron on February 5 , 1999 , and again activated at Barksdale on October 1 , 1999 , where it was assigned to Eighth Air Force ’ s 608th Air Operations Group . The 26th Operational Weather Squadron , Barksdale AFB , Louisiana , realigned under the 1st Weather Group , Air Force Weather Agency on 22 June 2006 . Systems Flight . The 26th OWS Systems Flight is responsible for maintaining and upgrading all computer systems equipment locally owned and employed by the 26th Operational Weather Squadron . The Systems Flight consists of a Government Civilian personnel as well as Active Duty USAF Airmen with an AFSC of 3D0X2 ( Cyber Systems Operator ) . The job for both GS and USAF personnel generally consists of standard network administrative tasks , i . e . , system building , installation , integration , internetworking , intranet working , and vulnerability assessment . The Systems Flight also functions as a communications focal point , performing small computer maintenance and ensuring the availability of computer services to the remainder of the squadron .