Editor's corner.

Military units from all over the United States will participate in a major live-training exercise that kicks off this month. The purpose of the exercise--dubbed Millennium Challenge 2002--is to practice the skills needed to fight and win the kinds of wars likely to occur five years from now, Lt. Gen. B.B. Bell, commander of the Third Army Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, told National Defense. The goal, he said, is to respond to a small-scale contingency before it can spiral into a major regional war. The exercise will explore the use of a standing joint task force in such a scenario. The story begins on page 22.

Not all war games, however, employ live troops. The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory at Quantico, Va., just completed one designed to allow civilian experts from the defense industry to test the Corps' latest expeditionary war concepts.

This game was played without real military forces or even computer simulations. Instead, groups of players--known as "cells"--put their heads together to decide how to deploy imaginary forces to meet a hypothetical crisis set 15 years or so in the future. They could use only units and equipment already deployed or expected to be so by the time of the game. For the full story, turn to page 18.

When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meets in Prague this November, it is expected to open its doors to new members. Ten countries in central and southeastern Europe are working hard to he admitted. They are striving to meet NATO's minimum military requirements, develop market economies and resolve concerns about governmental corruption and human rights.

It is going to he a tough battle, officials explained. NATO members, for example, are expected to spend at least two percent of their gross domestic product on defense, said NATO's Secretary General, Lord George Robertson. Turn to page 52.

This edition of National Defense Magazine also includes the 2002 Mega Directory, which begins on page 65. This annual directory of corporate members of the National Defense Industrial Association is designed to he a useful, long-term business reference. It includes:

* An alphabetical listing of the corporate members of NDIA and its affiliates, the National Training Systems Association (NTSA), the Association for Enterprise Integration (AFEI) and the Precision Strike Association.

* Corporate executives.

* Prime contractors and subcontractors.

* An index of the wide range of products and services provided by each company.

* Designations for minority-owned, women-owned, small and small disadvantaged businesses.

* A comprehensive guide to the procurement organizations of the Defense Department, from top leadership on the departmental and joint chiefs' level down to the program executive officers and program managers for each military service.