U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rusty Pang
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Most Americans rely on weather forecasts to plan their daily routine. The U.S. Navy is no different. With numerous ships, submarines and airplanes deployed in the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s area of operations, sailors stationed at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, make it their primary mission to monitor extreme weather conditions in support of the fleet’s daily operations.
Mr. Owen Shieh, a 2003 Melbourne Central Catholic High School graduate and native of Melbourne, Florida, has worked for the Navy for three years and is one of the civilians serving at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Pearl Harbor.Shieh credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Melbourne.
“I was heavily involved in the Boy Scouts when I younger, which was really focused on community service,” said Shieh. “I grew up fascinated with meteorology because of the hurricanes in Florida. The idea of working in a 24 hour facility for the fleet is a direct connection to public service.”
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center Detachment provides aviation weather support for the INDOPACOM area of responsibility and resource protection to ensure safety of flight and operations for Atsugi, Japan; Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa; Commander Fleet.
As the command’s training department head, Shieh is responsible for training Joint Typhoon Warning Center personnel for the entire eastern hemisphere.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Naval Oceanography defines and applies the physical environment for the entire Navy fleet from the bottom of the ocean to the stars,” said Rear Adm. John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “There isn't a plane that flies, a ship or a submarine that gets underway without the sailors and civilians of Naval Oceanography.”
The U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean.
Though there are many ways for Joint Typhoon Warning Center personnel to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Shieh is most proud of earning 2017 Oceanographer of the Year and a Navy Civilian Meritorious Service Award.
“It was an award I didn't expect,” said Shieh. “I’m proud of it because the JTWC never had a training department before me. We started from scratch and I was really happy to see what we started was being acknowledged across our community.”
Being stationed in Hawaii, often referred to in defense circles as the gateway to the Pacific, means Shieh is serving in a part of the world taking on a new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world's population, many of the world's largest and smallest economies, several of the world's largest militaries, and many U.S. allies. The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Shieh and other Navy personnel know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“The most rewarding part of serving the Navy is seeing the result of our hard work and being a part of the greater mission,” added Shieh. “The camaraderie is something I rarely see out in the civilian world. It's what I most appreciate serving as a civilian in the Navy.”