San Diego, California – Friday, July 5, 2025, 9:00 a.m. (ET) – A major transformation in U.S. military meteorology is underway as the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center will permanently stop sharing satellite weather data with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) starting July 31, according to a formal announcement by NOAA.
This sudden discontinuation will end access to data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), as well as all Near-Earth Space Weather instruments and other Defense Department satellite systems. These tools have long been instrumental for monitoring global atmospheric conditions, especially over remote or inaccessible regions.
The DMSP satellites, which have been in service for decades, typically capture twice-daily global imagery. They monitor cloud patterns, wind velocities, and storm drifts, contributing critical information for detecting fog, severe thunderstorms, dust storms, and even tropical cyclones, according to the U.S. Space Force.
However, with the recent deployment of the Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M), the Department of Defense is transitioning toward a new era of meteorological observation. First launched in 2024, the WSF-M system was declared to have reached Initial Operational Capacity in April 2025. It brings enhanced precision, allowing analysts to track sea ice, snow depth, soil moisture, and cyclonic activity, while also delivering more accurate wind measurements.
According to NOAA, it will now depend on WSF-M along with the Electro-Optical Weather System (EWS) to fill the gap left by the DMSP phase-out. Despite the fact that the DMSP satellites are still technically functional, they are more than ten years beyond their expected service life.
The announcement comes amid increased political scrutiny. Earlier this year, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy reportedly removed references to climate change in order to align with President Donald Trump’s administration, which has shown strong resistance to climate-related policy initiatives.
Despite losing military-sourced DMSP data, NOAA maintains access to vital global weather information through its Joint Polar Satellite System, as well as through ground-based radar, weather buoys, and other international satellite systems.
NOAA clarified in its July release that the shift away from DMSP is not a loss, but a modernization strategy: “The transition to WSF-M and EWS represents a modernization effort aimed at providing more resilient and enhanced environmental monitoring capabilities.”
This technological evolution coincides with broader modernization efforts within the U.S. military space infrastructure. The Space Force, for example, continues to struggle with GPS modernization, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. Meanwhile, the Army is actively overhauling satellite infrastructure, installing new teleport communication systems in Okinawa this past March, which are expected to be fully operational by November.
Further investments are also being made. This July, the Department of Defense awarded L3Harris Technologies a $28.4 million contract to boost the Navy’s satellite communications systems, underlining the accelerating push toward next-generation space-based capabilities.
