Editor's corner.

Continuing pressure on the military services to become more interoperable and for their weapon systems to be more compatible is the driving force in most defense acquisition programs today.

A case in point are unmanned air vehicles, which rapidly are gaining acceptance and accolades for their role in helping commanders scope the battlefield and find targets. But like most defense systems in the current inventory, UAVs from different services cannot share information or communicate with one another. Each type of UAV also requires unique command and control systems.

With 138 different UAVs in production today, the time has come for the Defense Department to enforce common standards for the operation, command and control of these vehicles, said a study sponsored by the Air Force deputy chief of staff for war-fighting integration. The Air Force is concerned that, as more UAVs from every service join the battle,

it will become increasingly difficult to manage and coordinate air combat operations, and that keeping trained operators and maintainers for each system will drive up the cost of employing UAVs.

For details on the contents of the study, please turn to page 16.

On the tactical communications front, the lack of interoperability among military radio systems has been a problem in the field for many years. That prompted the Defense Department to launch the Joint Tactical Radio System program, in an effort to consolidate 750,000 military radios into a single family of software-programmable devices.

The $3 billion JTRS program, however, is experiencing a few hiccups along the way, given the technical complexity of the project and the services' concerns about the cost of replacing all their radios. An update on recent developments in the JTRS program can be found on page 19.

The U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps, meanwhile, are closely watching the progress of the services' new amphibious ship, the USS San Antonio (LPD 17). The vessel--preparing to undergo sea trials a year from now--is getting high-level scrutiny not just because of its billion-dollar price tag, but also as a result of past delays and cost overruns that prompted the Pentagon to nearly cancel the program.

Among the advanced technologies touted in the LPD 17 is a high-tech command-and-control network and a state-of-the-art radar. Bur the ship also is being advertised as being more Marine-friendly than its predecessors. Historically, Marines have endured atrocious living conditions, toil harsh even for rugged Marines to withstand on their extended cruises. Our cover story on the LPD 17 begins on page 30.

Of interest this month, as well, are reports on the environmental challenges confronting the Defense Department, specifically how to lower energy consumption and how to clean up unexploded ordnance at military ranges. Our story on page 24 details recent advances in fuel-cell technology. Immediately following is a comprehensive update on military research efforts aimed at UXO removal.