Space Weather and the Case for a National Strategh

In October 2015, the White House released the National Space Weather Strategy and the National Space Weather Action Plan. These two documents were developed by an interagency group of experts, with input from stakeholders... [ view full abstract ]

In October 2015, the White House released the National Space Weather Strategy and the National Space Weather Action Plan. These two documents were developed by an interagency group of experts, with input from stakeholders outside the Federal government, to clearly articulate how the Federal government will work to enhance national space-weather preparedness. The Strategy identifies goals and establishes the guiding principles that will focus these efforts in both the near and long term, while the Action Plan identifies specific activities, outcomes, and timelines that the Federal government will pursue accordingly. In October 2016, President Obama signed Executive Order 13744 -- "Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events". The Executive Order establishes an enduring interagency coordination body within the National Science and Technology Council to implement the national space weather policy; orders the implementation of necessary, high-level activities that were not included in the Action Plan; and reinforces the need to work with non-Federal entities to achieve national preparedness for space weather. In this presentation I will address the motivation behind the development of these important documents, and will discuss key elements necessary to improve our understanding, prediction capability, and preparedness efforts to enhance the Nation’s resilience against severe space-weather events.