Provide weather forecasting and environmental analysis for air operations. Support mission planning with meteorological data.
Officer - College Degree Required, Meteorology Background
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Weather and environmental sciences officers lead the teams that tell commanders and aircrews whether a mission can fly and what the environment will do to it. You review forecasts, approve products, and brief operational leaders who need a clear answer rather than a range of possibilities. The work spans aviation forecasting, climatology for long range planning, and environmental effects on weapons, sensors, and ground movement. You manage a flight of enlisted forecasters, which brings scheduling, training, evaluations, and equipment accountability with it. Deployed, you may be the only weather expert supporting an operation, forecasting for terrain and airfields you have never seen.
You build real atmospheric science ability, including model interpretation, satellite and radar analysis, and forecasting in regions with almost no observations. The job teaches you to turn scientific uncertainty into an operational recommendation someone can actually act on. You learn how weather affects aircraft performance, munitions, communications, and ground mobility, which is applied physics rather than general meteorology. A four year degree in a science or technical field plus a commission through an academy, ROTC, or officer training program is the entry path. Leading forecasters adds personnel management, quality control, and technical supervision on top of the science.
Forecasting builds comfort with uncertainty, because you have to commit to an answer knowing it might be wrong. You learn to communicate risk in plain terms to people who will never read the fine print. The job grows patience and consistency, since good forecasting is disciplined routine far more than inspiration. Briefing senior leaders regularly builds poise and the confidence to hold a position when it is challenged. You also develop a lasting habit of checking your own accuracy honestly rather than remembering only the good calls.
The National Weather Service, private forecasting firms, energy and utility companies, airlines, and insurance analytics groups all hire meteorologists. Military forecasting experience plus a science degree is a credible entry into those fields, and the leadership record helps you move up. Emergency management agencies value people who can forecast and communicate under pressure during storms and wildfires. Some officers pursue graduate degrees in atmospheric or data science with the GI Bill, which opens research and modeling work. The clearance and operational background also support defense contracting and federal service positions.
No suitable exact-MOS or related career-field video has been verified for this page yet. No unrelated video or search-results page is substituted.
$77,814–$144,392
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
Possibilities for serving Airmen, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Earned through qualifying rifle or pistol competition performance—not routine weapons qualification or time in service.
A cross-specialty competition opportunity, including support Airmen. Entry depends on the particular authorized match and its eligibility rules; earning a badge requires the qualifying result and official award. Confirm entry, prior-award restrictions and uniform wear with the match organizer and current Air Force guidance.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Air Force 15WX Weather and Environmental Sciences Officer, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceThe Air Force's 16 May 2022 Enlisted Force Structure describes junior enlisted Airmen, NCOs, and senior NCOs, with increasing technical and leadership responsibilities. It is an enlisted development reference, not evidence of this AFSC's maximum rank, a commissioning route, or current specialty-specific selection requirements.
Air Force Enlisted Force Structure (16 May 2022)Service-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
The Air Force restored warrant careers. The reviewed FY26 announcement names 17W communications/IT and 17Y cyber specialties and accepts qualified applicants from any AFSC, as well as qualified civilians and prior-service applicants. It describes a closed 2025 Regular Air Force board; Guard/Reserve use separate memoranda. Current application windows, individual eligibility, and higher warrant-grade progression remain unverified.
Air Force FY26 warrant selection announcement (historical cycle)Specialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Provide weather forecasting and environmental analysis for air operations. Support mission planning with meteorological data.
Weather and environmental sciences officers lead the teams that tell commanders and aircrews whether a mission can fly and what the environment will do to it. You review forecasts, approve products, and brief operational leaders who need a clear answer rather than a range of possibilities. The work spans aviation forecasting, climatology for long range planning, and environmental effects on weapons, sensors, and ground movement. You manage a flight of enlisted forecasters, which brings scheduling, training, evaluations, and equipment accountability with it. Deployed, you may be the only weather expert supporting an operation, forecasting for terrain and airfields you have never seen.
You build real atmospheric science ability, including model interpretation, satellite and radar analysis, and forecasting in regions with almost no observations. The job teaches you to turn scientific uncertainty into an operational recommendation someone can actually act on. You learn how weather affects aircraft performance, munitions, communications, and ground mobility, which is applied physics rather than general meteorology. A four year degree in a science or technical field plus a commission through an academy, ROTC, or officer training program is the entry path. Leading forecasters adds personnel management, quality control, and technical supervision on top of the science.
The National Weather Service, private forecasting firms, energy and utility companies, airlines, and insurance analytics groups all hire meteorologists. Military forecasting experience plus a science degree is a credible entry into those fields, and the leadership record helps you move up. Emergency management agencies value people who can forecast and communicate under pressure during storms and wildfires. Some officers pursue graduate degrees in atmospheric or data science with the GI Bill, which opens research and modeling work. The clearance and operational background also support defense contracting and federal service positions.
Officer - College Degree Required, Meteorology Background. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
A civilian can pursue this specialty through an officer accession path, subject to eligibility and assignment. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Official branch occupation evidence
Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
Official occupation evidence · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with an official recruiter.
Advertised — Air Force, as of 2026-09-28Deployment likelihood: Moderate*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.