Editor's corner.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 November 2001

U.S. military forces today are uncontested in their skills and competence. In the future, however, will America's armed services be able to avoid a "training surprise?"

That was the question posed in a study by the Defense Science Board, an expert panel that advises the secretary of defense. The study was completed before September 11, a day when suddenly the priorities at the Pentagon and the nation were turned upside down.

A training surprise occurs "when the adversary focuses efforts on a particular vulnerability and has very high-quality training to exploit that vulnerability," explained the chairman of the Defense...