The United States government has been engaged in covert cloud seeding operations over North Vietnam, Laos, and South Vietnam to manipulate rainfall for military purposes.

According to information obtained from various government sources, both civilian and military, the Air Force has been conducting cloud seeding activities primarily to disrupt the movement of North Vietnamese troops and equipment, as well as to suppress enemy anti-aircraft missile fire.

This revelation confirms longstanding speculation within Congressional and scientific circles regarding the utilization of weather modification techniques in Southeast Asia. Despite extensive experimentation with rainmaking techniques in the United States and other regions, scientists remain uncertain about such interventions’ potential long-term ecological impacts on the affected areas.

Cloud seeding

Cloud seeding involves introducing certain atmospheric substances to trigger cloud formation or enhance precipitation. These elements, such as potassium iodide, silver iodide, or dry ice, act as nuclei around which water droplets or ice crystals can form. More recently, materials like table salt have gained attention for their ability to attract moisture.

There are different techniques used in cloud seeding. Static seeding focuses on encouraging the formation of ice particles in supercooled clouds to increase rainfall. On the other hand, dynamic seeding aims to boost convective cloud development by releasing latent heat.

Cloud seeding can be conducted using various methods, including aircraft and ground-based generators. More modern approaches involve drones that deliver electric charges to stimulate rainfall or use infrared laser pulses to induce particle formation.

Despite being studied and applied for decades, the effectiveness of cloud seeding remains a topic of debate among scientists. While some studies suggest it can enhance precipitation, others argue that its impact is not always significant and can be challenging to quantify. Therefore, the overall effectiveness of cloud seeding in increasing rainfall remains uncertain.

Cloud seeding experiments have been conducted since the 1940s, but until recently, there was uncertainty about whether it actually worked. However, research conducted last year provided clearer evidence by identifying snowfall that definitively resulted from cloud seeding efforts.

Officials in Wyoming and other areas have now concluded that cloud seeding is effective and can help alleviate drought conditions without causing harm to the environment. This recognition is significant because it means that cloud seeding could be a valuable tool in areas struggling with water shortages.