Editor's corner.

In its decade-long pursuit of Land Warrior, the Army has traveled a bumpy road.

The Land Warrior is the Army's first attempt to turn foot soldiers into digital warriors. Made up of a computer, a radio, a customized rifle and a helmet-mounted display eyepiece--all linked electronically--the Land Warrior can transmit voice, data and imagery to other soldiers and to commanders. It is an attempt to capitalize on Information Age innovations, such as miniaturized electronics and wireless communications.

The reality today is that Land Warrior has yet to pass critical tests that would prove it can operate in combat conditions. It's possible that the Army underestimated the complexity of developing Land Warrior. It's also possible that the technology has not caught up with tough military requirements. Regardless, the Army is making yet another attempt to make Land Warrior into an effective weapon system.

Under a project called Land Warrior-Stryker Interoperable, the Army wants to synch up the Land Warrior to its new light armored vehicle, the Stryker. The Land Warrior-Stryker Interoperable is projected to go into operational testing by 2006. For more details, turn to page 32.

The Army, meanwhile, is stepping up efforts to field its six Stryker light-armored brigades. The service is campaigning heavily to secure political and financial support for the Stryker. If the $4 billion program progresses as scheduled, the vehicle could prove its worth in extended peacekeeping duties around the world and contingencies in urban areas.

The first Stryker brigade now is entering the initial testing and operational evaluation phase. Go to page 35 for an extensive package on the Stryker's recent tests, including comments from operators in the field.

In another special report, the director of the Defense Logistics Agency, Navy Vice Adm. Keith W. Lippert, outlines his plans to bolster the supply lines to U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf. Among his proposals is the construction of a new supply depot in Bahrain, which would make up to 11,000 types of spare parts available to U.S. forces. The idea is to make the system more responsive, Lippert says.

He also offers his views on a proposal circulating at the Pentagon to merge the Defense Logistics Agency with the U.S. Transportation Command. He categorically opposes combining the two organizations and claims it would not fix current problems in the distribution system, as merger advocates contend.

To read more about this ongoing debate, turn to page 13.

Reform also is the subject of much discussion within the top leadership of the U.S. Air Force. The service is making an aggressive push to change business practices, in an effort to accelerate programs needed to meet pressing operational requirements. The results, so far, have been encouraging, senior officials tell National Defense in a story that begins on page 16.

A prime example of the new way of running acquisition programs in the Air Force is the Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft, a complex platform that could one day replace the Joint STARS ground surveillance and the AWACS early-warning radar aircraft. An update on the latest developments in the MC2A program can be found on page 18.