Defense geophysics office
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Defense Geophysics Office |
|
|---|---|
|
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| active | October 1, 1970 to September 30, 2003 |
| Country |
 Germany
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| Armed forces | armed forces |
| Location |
 Traben-Trarbach , Wildstein barracks
|
| Former locations |
 Cologne , air force barracks |
The Office for Defense Geophysics ( AWGeophys ) in the Wildstein Barracks in Traben-Trarbach was the Bundeswehr's central office for defense geophysics from October 1, 1970 to March 11, 2003 . It headed the Geophysical Advisory Service of the Bundeswehr ( GeophysBDBw ). It was opened on March 11, 2003 in the Office for Geoinformation of the Bundeswehr (AGeoBw).
Geophysical advisory service for the Bundeswehr
In 1956 the Geophysical Advisory Service of the Bundeswehr (until 1961 under the name Weather Advisory Service of the Bundeswehr) was founded as a scientific special service without military personnel on the decision of a special commission of the budget committee. Other scientific tasks were added later.
Precursors and Origin
The central institution of the GeophysBDBw was initially the weather advice department in the General Air Force Office (from which the Air Force Office later emerged). On October 1, 1970, the Defense Geophysics Office was established. The general service of the office was subordinate to the Air Force Office and for the field of military geophysics to the Federal Ministry of Defense .
Location
The location of the office for military geophysics was initially the air force barracks in today's Cologne district of Wahnheide . 1975 began to move the office to Traben-Trarbach . In 1979 the move was largely complete. The headquarters of the office was in the Mont Royal barracks .
Tasks and organization
Central Department
The central department was responsible for the control of service operations, matters of military reporting and reporting as well as the public relations work of the office. She also planned the training and management of specialist staff for the GeophysBDBw and was responsible for specialist information and the library.
Science Department
The science department was responsible for studies, reports and statements for various Bundeswehr departments. It provided geophysical planning documents and developed various advisory processes. It was divided into different work areas.
Special geophysics
The Special Geophysics group investigated the influence of geophysical conditions on weapon systems and equipment.
- The area of aerology dealt with the vertical distribution of wind and temperature and their predictability.
- The Propagation Meteorology division developed computer models for the propagation of sound , gases and aerosols.
- The area of optronics dealt with the atmospheric influence on reconnaissance sensors or image intensifier glasses for use in the dark.
- The Radiogeophysics division developed methods for calculating the propagation of electromagnetic waves under different weather conditions ( terrestrial refraction ).
- The Technical Geophysics division worked on problems of icing and the risk of lightning strikes in aircraft.
- The topometeorology department investigated the influence of topography and vegetation on local weather. An attempt was made to improve weather advice for helicopters in unfavorable flight conditions.
biology
The environmentally relevant work areas were assigned to this group.
- The field of biology mainly dealt with bird strikes . There was a laboratory, among other things, for the examination of seized bird remains. Methods for predicting the risk of bird strike have also been developed.
- The Climatology department developed special advice on climatic conditions in operational areas, on airfields and ship routes in Germany, Europe and overseas.
- The area of ecology examined the interactions between military activities and problems of environmental protection. Recommendations for camouflaging military installations and for water extraction and food procurement under difficult conditions were also drawn up.
- The oceanography department worked on topics such as ocean-atmosphere interactions and developed prediction methods for sea conditions . This area worked closely with the Naval Office .
Meteorological procedures
This group developed analytical methods and numerical prediction models . The Boundary Layer Model (BLM) was an in-house development of AWGeophys.
Advice department
The advice department had one of the main tasks of AWGeophys: advising troops and military command.
Operational control
The operational control group archived all geophysical data obtained in the Bundeswehr. It formulated operational guidelines and regulations for weather observation . She also developed the concept for advising the army, navy and air force and implemented the concept in advisory guidelines.
Advice center
The advisory center created geophysical advisory documents in the scientific appointment service. Weather analyzes and forecasts were created in map and text form and warnings for military users in the Federal Republic of Germany were issued. Advisory documents were also created for parts of the Bundeswehr that were deployed outside of Central Europe. The advisory center was manned by geophysics officers around the clock, including weekends and public holidays.
Information technology department
The AWGeophys operated its own large-scale computer system in an underground protective structure to process the huge amounts of data that are generated during weather observation worldwide. Numerical models for weather forecasting were also implemented on the computer system, including its own Boundary Layer Model (BLM) for short-term forecast in a small area and the GME, the global weather forecast model of the German Weather Service, which is used here as a backup in the event of a failure of the data center DWD was calculated in parallel. The collection of weather data as well as the sending of data and products has been carried out since 1994 via its own satellite radio via satellites from Eutelsat . The department was divided into an IT planning group and an IT operations group. The operation of the systems was guaranteed around the clock by qualified personnel.
Department of Geology
The geology department investigated questions about the properties of soil, rock subsoil and groundwater horizons. There was a great need for advice on the conversion of areas formerly used by the military into civil use. In addition, military contaminated sites were recorded and assessed. The department was also involved in the renovation of the former Espagit ammunition factory in Hallschlag .
Cooperation with the DWD
It was agreed between the Federal Minister of Transport and the Federal Minister of Defense that AWGeophys should work closely with the German Weather Service in the fields of meteorology and climatology. This mainly concerned the areas of weather observation, data exchange and processing, documents for weather advice, procurement of specialist equipment, training of specialist personnel and international cooperation. This agreement was intended to aim for sound financial management and avoid duplication of work.
Subordinate areas
Subordinate areas of the AWGeophys were the School of Defense Geophysics (SWGeophys) and the geophysical data control centers.
Defense geophysics school
The SWGeophys in Fürstenfeldbruck was a school of the armed forces. It was housed at the Fürstenfeldbruck air base. It offered courses for the basic and advanced training of specialist staff. The training of candidates for the careers of the weather service was carried out together with those of the German weather service.
Geophysical data control centers
The geophysical data control centers in Ankum , Bordelum near Bredstedt and Jengen near Buchloe were regional communication nodes of the GeophysBDBw. They lost their importance with the establishment of satellite radio.
Merger with the AMilGeo
In the course of the merger of the Military Geographic Service with the Geophysical Advisory Service of the Bundeswehr, the Office for Military Geosystems (AMilGeo) in Euskirchen and AWGeophys became the Bundeswehr Office for Geoinformation (AGeoBw) on March 11, 2003 . The defense geophysics school was also integrated into the AGeoBw. On October 1st, 2003 the AWGeophys was officially integrated into the AGeoBw. At the turn of the month of November / December 2012, the last remaining military and civilian employees moved from Traben-Trarbach to Euskirchen.
Reuse
The approximately 13 hectare site on the “Über den Weinbergen” road was sold in mid-2013 by the Federal Real Estate Agency to a Dutch investor, a former owner of CyberBunker . The heart of the facility was the underground, five-story protective structure with a usable area of 5500 square meters, and the site also included two office buildings with a total usable area of 4,300 square meters. He wanted to continue using the system as a data center. He intended a broad customer business "with the exception of child pornography and everything that has to do with terrorism".
On September 27, 2019, a search was carried out with 650 police officers. Seven people were arrested. There were also searches in Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland.
literature
- 20 Years Office for Defense Geophysics , Brochure for the Open Day, Mönch Verlag Koblenz, 1996
Web links
- Information brochure of the GeoInfoDBw (accessed on July 22, 2014) ( Memento from October 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Armed Forces Base (accessed on July 22, 2014) ( Memento from November 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ "Inaugural visit from the new boss" Trierischer Volksfreund from October 5, 2003 (accessed on October 11, 2008)
- ↑ "Geo-Office: Employees pack the boxes" . Trierischer Volksfreund from November 14, 2012 (accessed on May 8, 2013).
- ↑ https://www.volksfreund.de/region/mosel-wittlich-hunsrueck/amt-verkauf-aber-viele-fragen-offen_aid-5182257
- ↑ https://www.volksfreund.de/region/mosel-wittlich-hunsrueck/rechenzentrum-statt-geo-amt_aid-6476030
- ↑ https://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/darknet-razzia-trabach-trabern-drogen-1.4619161
Coordinates: 49 ° 57 ′ 57 ″ N , 7 ° 7 ′ 13 ″ E