editor's corner.

With new leadership at the U.S. Senate, defense industry executives, military analysts and other observers are wondering what the changeover to Democratic control means for defense policies and spending priorities.

It's still early to make any drastic predictions, but there is some certainty about what the Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee expect to focus on, when it comes to national defense. Senior Writer Elizabeth G. Book talked to some key members of the committee about their views on military issues, defense policy and related matters. Her story is on page 14.

Meanwhile, members of the House have been busy setting up a so-called Aerospace Caucus to promote the interests of NASA and the U.S. space industry. Congressmen Dave Weldon, R-Fla., and Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, have enlisted 22 members to join the House of Representatives Aerospace Caucus, with a mission to respond to "the foreign challenges to the United States for its leadership in the global aerospace market." That story begins on page 40.

Also of interest in this month's issue is the Pentagon's plan to develop a new warfare doctrine and combat procedures for joint, multi-service operations. The agency responsible for this task is the U.S. Joint Forces Command, in Norfolk, Va. The command's joint experimentation office will put together a large-scale exercise called Millennium Chal- lenge 2002, in which all branches of the service will be tested in their ability to interoperate with each other. Assistant Editor Roxana Tiron recently spoke with JFCOM officials about the experiment and their future plans for bringing joint warfare into the Defense Department mainstream. This story is on page 20.

For the aerospace industry, new business opportunities could be in the offing, as several countries consider purchasing large radar surveillance aircraft, similar to the U.S. Air Force airborne early-warning and control system (AWACS). A Boeing-led team is marketing a advanced AEW system, based on the 737-700 jet and Northrop Grumman's multi-role electronically scanned array. Boeing predicts that there is a world market for 50 of these aircraft. Even though Boeing's system is the lead contender today, other competitors are out there, vying for a share of what could be a $15 billion to $30 billion market. More details can be found in this issue of National Defense, beginning on page 28.

Worth noting this month is our annual Mega Directory-starting on page 73- which contains a wealth of information about companies in the defense industry and about the Defense Department's acquisition agencies.

This month, we are pleased to welcome two new members to the staff of National Defense. Sam Votsis joins us as graphic designer and Sharon Foster, as editorial coordinator.