Advantages of info-tech overestimated.

According to the thinking that prevails in the Defense Department today, information technology is more important than old-fashioned military hardware, such as fighter jets, observes Loren Thompson, of the Lexington Institute, a defense industry think tank.

The growing emphasis on "net-centric" warfare, he says, also offers a convenient rationale to budget officials seeking to trim expensive weapon systems, such as the F/A-22 and the Joint Strike Fighter.

This line of reasoning has serious flaws, Thompson contends, because it assumes that no other country would have an edge over the United States in information technology. "The problem with net-centric warfare is that other countries can compete much more successfully," he asserts. "If you walk around Best Buy or any electronics store, see if you can find anything made in the United States. Other countries can compete much more successfully."

Network-centric warfare may be a worthwhile option, he adds, "to deal with fools such as Milosevic and Saddam Hussein." But it may not work against more sophisticated enemies, such as China.