Desingularization preserving stable simple normal crossings

Abstract: The subject is partial resolution of singularities. Given an algebraic variety X (not necessarily equidimensional) in characteristic zero (or, more generally, a pair (X,D), where D is a divisor on X), we construct a functorial desingularization of all but stable simple normal crossings (stable-snc) singularities, by smooth blowings-up that preserve such singularities. A variety has stable simple normal crossings at a point if, locally, its irreducible components are smooth and tranverse in some smooth embedding variety. We also show that our main assertion is false for more general simple normal crossings singularities.