For example, the Gulf War in 1991 originally exposed startling, and potentially debilitating, weaknesses in military supply logistics. Defense chiefs had debated business systems overhaul for years, in part because of persistent flaws in financial management. Net-based quality of life and knowledge management initiatives were well under way in the immediate post-9/11 period.

Still, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have certainly validated the need for lighter, flexible and more mobile force projection-aided by information. As war always does, current conflicts have also highlighted more eternal requirements: the right leadership, training and processes. In short, both IT and people must mesh to bring about effective national defense and successful prosecution of war.

The now-famous stories of horse-mounted scouts directing precise bombing missions drove this point home colorfully. But the transformation mantra pervades nearly every component in DOD. From so many commands, bases and bureaus, starting with the Pentagon itself, you hear people talk about the struggle to make systems and processes work in harmony toward better mission delivery.

In DEFENSE SYSTEMS, you'll be reading a lot about the deployment of technology to achieve military transformation. We'll be covering this transformation as it applies to the business and financial systems as well as to net-centric support of warfighters.

Our coverage won't be all toys and tech. That's because underlying this coverage is our belief that enabling and empowering people is the point of technology-and the spending that goes with it. So we'll try hard to make sure every story contains the context of, and the people behind, the challenge to which technology is applied.=

THOMAS R. TEMIN
Editor in Chief

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