The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 requires that the US Navy prove that any planned military exercise will not cause any harm to the environment. This vague wording has turned normal planning for naval wargames into a nightmare of litigation by environmentalist groups who want to stop all naval wargames. It takes at least four months, and often longer, to get a permit (which is good only for a year). The Pentagon has asked repeatedly for Congress to change the law to require that "significant harm" be avoided, but the environmental lobby is too powerful to allow this.--Stephen V Cole