Editors' corner.

• Position: Brief notes from the armed forces - Brief Article

A major polluter of the environment during the Cold War, the Defense Department now spends billions of dollars cleaning up hazardous waste throughout the United States. The military services, additionally, are investing large sums in programs aimed at pollution prevention.

Among the agencies in charge of these efforts ate the Army Environmental Center, in Aberdeen, Md., and the Navy's Pollution Prevention Division in Carderock, Md. Both organizations are the subject of exclusive reports that begin on page 18. We expect to cover environmental stewardship work by the U.S. Air Force in a future edition of National Defense.

An old debate within the U.S. Army--whether commercial trucks are robust enough to do what Humvees (high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles) do--is being rekindled as a result of the Combatt (commercially based tactical truck) program sponsored by the Army National Automotive Center. The Ford Co., Daimler Chrysler and General Motors appear to be interested in gaining entry to the military truck market. But can they perform like the rugged and battle-tested Humvees? There are many points of view on this issue, some of which are the focus of our cover story.

Ground-combat systems, meanwhile, are expected to change drastically in the future, as the Army marches on with its "transformation" plan. The combat platforms of 2020 will be small, lightweight, networked and sensor-heavy. But vehicles alone won't do the job. The Army...