Weather affects living things, such as plants, animals, and humans. It also supports the stability of non-living things, helping to shape the environment.

But what you probably didn't know is that the weather was actually once seen as a weapon by the U.S. government, and was used to their advantage during the Vietnam War.

This was achieved through the strategic approach of the U.S., known as "Operation Popeye." A top-secret operation that was quite effective at the time.

Operation Popeye: Vietnam War Weather Modification

During the Vietnam War, America sought to wield the power of weather as a weapon against Communist forces. While it might sound fictitious, Operation Popeye was a real top-secret weather modification program.

The entire operation was inspired by Project Stormfury, which was a system developed in California that tried to weaken tropical cyclones through the use of cloud seeding.

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Led by a team of top scientists, meteorologists, and military strategists, Operation Popeye aimed to extend the monsoon season over key sections of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The hope was that if the days of rainfall for each season could be extended by 30+ days, it would soften roads, cause landslides, etc. and would disrupt North Vietnamese military supplies.

The military strategized the use of "Operation Popeye," and though it was an unconventional tactic, and the operation ended up making significant contributions to the war.

Instead of bombs, pilots dropped tiny crystals of silver iodide and lead iodide into clouds to create rain, also known as "cloud seeding."

They seeded clouds to extend rainfall during the dry season. They wanted the Ho Chi Minh Trail to sink so deeply that trucks sank into the mud, roads were washed away, and supply convoys came to a halt.

Yes, it’s hard to believe that weather conditions such as rain could hinder Vietnam’s plans for an offensive and defensive approach to cope with the U.S. military. However, it did happen, and the public was unaware of it.

U.S. Weather Control Tactics: Cloud Seeding in Vietnam

The U.S. government made it rain with Operation Popeye. The rain was a result of a complex chemical reaction, where the use of silver iodide and lead iodide created cloud condensation nuclei, which are crucial tiny particles that allow water vapor to collide in the air and form rain.

Therefore, pilots soared over selected regions of Vietnam with a canister containing silver iodide and lead iodide, releasing them into clouds to create rain. They used this technique as an instrument of war, demonstrating that even nature can be weaponized to gain an advantage.

Many military forces around the world do not consider the use of unconventional weapons in war, such as cloud seeding, alongside traditional weapons like bombs. But in 1967, in the Vietnam War, the U.S. military did.

However, given that this operation is unbelievably controversial, different views and opinions from people throughout the war between the U.S. and Vietnam have sparked a debate over whether it was ethical to use.

The operation gave the U.S. a great advantage against the Vietnamese troops. Still, its ethical considerations did not escape scrutiny under international law, which led to an investigation of the operation and prohibited the use of weather as a weapon of war, whether they liked it or not.

Cloud Seeding Origins: Key Figures and Concepts

Weather modification, or the capability to control the weather, was discovered long before the war in Vietnam began.

The brilliant mind behind the weather modification efforts in the U.S. was Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th U.S. President, in 1965. His idea grew over time as he continued to watch the sky.

However, the cloud seeding method was initiated in 1946 by American chemist and meteorologist Vincent J. Schaefer, who performed this process from aircraft, rockets, cannons, and ground generators.

At that time, many substances were used. However, the most effective substances for the cloud seeding method were solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) and silver iodide.

Originally, cloud seeding was used to minimize damage to crops and buildings from hailstones. However, the military was so ingenious with the idea that they also utilized it as a weapon in a war.

Controversies of Operation Popeye: Ethical and Legal Issues

A top-secret briefing about Operation Popeye was conducted, stating that taxpayers had unknowingly paid approximately $3.6 million per year (or about $34 million per year, adjusted for inflation) for the Vietnam War.

However, the fact is that many citizens were in awe and shock due to Operation Popeye's success, given that it is "certainly limited" and also fundamentally "unverifiable."

When the operation became public in 1974, questions were raised. Proponents of the operation argue that increased rainfall did significantly disrupt North Vietnamese supply lines, hampering their ability to resupply troops and conduct operations.

However, those who remain skeptical of the operation hold that while the operation did temporarily inconvenience enemy forces, the long-term impact on North Vietnamese military operations was limited. After five years of negative publicity, the program was shut down.

While the operation might not have been a complete success, as a scientific experiment, it helped prove that cloud seeding technology was viable. In fact, this technology is used today to help replenish water sources in drought-prone areas, assisting agriculture efforts.

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Sources:

• With Operation Popeye, the U.S. Government Made Weather an Instrument of War
• Despite Past Failures, Weather Modification Endures
• 1976 Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques
• Weather Modification