In this issue.

Mention the Department of Defense to most people and paint is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But just as coatings play many roles in the domestic sphere, they also are critical to the maintenance and performance of military systems. While the basic problems have many features in common with more familiar uses (for example, corrosion protection, long-term durability, reduction of solvent emissions), there are unique requirements placed on coatings systems used by the U.S. Army, the Air Force, the Navy--and by NASA. In this issue, Cynthia Challener reports on U.S. government coatings research, highlighting the special challenges that demanding military and space applications pose and summarizing recent developments in government-sponsored coatings research.

This issue includes a market update on process equipment and, as a special feature, the 2005 COATINGSTECH Pigments Guide. In the second of two articles on chromatographic methods, Francis Acholla (Rohm and Haas) discusses high pressure liquid chromatography and its applications in the coatings industry. This is part of our ongoing series of articles on analytical methods.

As this issue goes to press, the second installment in the 2005 Advancements in Coatings Series is almost upon us--Nanotechnology in Coatings will be held in Seattle, on June 8-10. The event focuses on emerging nanotechnologies and their impact in the development of new coating products. There is one more event scheduled in the Advancements in Coatings Series this year--"Coating Wood and Wood Composites: The Changing Future" will be held September 25-27 in Charlotte, NC. This conference is designed to explore how wood and wood composite substrates are changing and how changes in regulation and development of new technologies are affecting the wood coating industry. Check out these and other Federation-sponsored events on the FSCT website, www.coatingstech.org.