May 3, 2005 -- U.S. military leaders guiding the Quadrennial Defense Review were at an all-day meeting today to consider what major changes in combat gear and force structure are necessary to improve the Pentagon's ability to wage a long-term battle against sophisticated terrorist networks.

April 27, 2005 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is laying plans for a special summer meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to consider significantly realigning the military bureaucracy and budget, according to sources. Their goal is to place the Defense Department on a better footing to protect the homeland and execute a protracted campaign against terrorism around the world.

April 25, 2005 -- Two high-level advisory boards are accelerating work on a pair of key studies -- examining military transformation and reducing vulnerabilities to weapons of mass destruction -- in a bid to influence the ongoing Quadrennial Defense Review.

April 18, 2005 -- The 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review is set to take up what the White House calls one of the greatest security challenges facing the United States -- the prospect of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists or hostile states.

April 14, 2005 -- Senior military officials leading last Saturday's inaugural Quadrennial Defense Review meeting determined that one of the capabilities essential for an effective military contribution to homeland defense does not reside in a camouflaged warehouse or combat schoolhouse.

April 8, 2005 -- Decisions on weapon system investments made in the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review are set to dominate changes to the Pentagon's spending plans this fall, according to defense documents and officials.

April 7, 2005 -- The Defense Department is directing the services to consider the capabilities needed to aid civil authorities in the aftermath of massive terrorist attacks on at least two American cities.

March 31, 2005 -- The World Bank executive board's unanimous decision to approve Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz as its next president will soon deprive the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review of one of its most important leaders at a critical time.

March 29, 2005 -- The Navy is planning to adjust its near-term investment strategy in order to better handle future missions in the global war on terrorism, a move that service officials hope will anticipate recommendations from the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review expected later this summer.

March 28, 2005 -- The Pentagon for the first time is inviting representatives from other executive branch agencies to participate in its Quadrennial Defense Review as it tries to identify the roles and missions of the federal government that need adjusting to deal with new security challenges.

March 24, 2005 -- Navy and CIA strategists have crafted a new framework for thinking about future threats that is being used to inform the sea service's 2007 budget proposal, and it may influence the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review, according to a senior service official.

March 22, 2005 -- A sweeping defense review now under way may usher significant changes to what Pentagon officials call its "force planning construct" -- a key metric for shaping U.S. war plans, justifying the total size of the uniformed ranks and establishing the roster of needed combat gear, according to a senior Pentagon official.

March 21, 2005 -- The fate of billions of dollars in spending on weapon systems will be weighed in a series of Saturday meetings over the next few months, guiding the work of a key panel leading the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review's deliberations of future military capabilities.

March 18, 2005 -- Pentagon officials aim by mid-July to glean enough insights from the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review to recommend significant changes to the planned acquisition of major weapons systems, according to Defense Department documents and officials.