Editor's corner.

In the U.S. Army, "transformation" may be an overused buzzword, but it's also a fair description for what is happening at the service's training centers.

Notably the Army has reorganized its training centers to address gaps in areas such as stability and support operations, based on lessons learned from counterinsurgency operations in Iraq.

Gen. Kevin Byrnes, the commander of the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command, and Lt. Gen. William Wallace, the commander of the Combined Arms Center, explain that changes are needed to better prepare soldiers for the threats they are facing day to day in Iraq, Afghanistan, as well as other hotspots around the world. At the Army's premier facility, the National Training Center, exercises no longer focus exclusively on force-on-force campaigns. According to Wallace, it is important to reduce the "emphasis that we put on major fights, understanding that these are still combat operations and very lethal, but they are not the armored congregations that we put in the past." An exclusive report on the Army's new approach to training begins on page 18.

The occupation of Iraq, meanwhile, has rekindled interest in so-called "non-lethal" weapons, which once were meant only for police use. They are, however, increasingly finding their way into military units in Iraq and other places where soldiers have to deal with hostile civilians. Non-lethals often are seen as valuable supplements to conventional weapons. Although non-lethal weapons are somewhat controversial, experts predict that the challenges troops face in urban combat will force U.S. commanders to increase their reliance on devices that temporarily disable suspected enemies, but do not necessarily kill. Additionally the political costs of using lethal force on unarmed civilians may justify the need for less-than-lethal systems that can assist in crowd-control missions. A comprehensive update on non-lethal weapons begins on page 14.

Also in the headlines today is the role of Army aviation in supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This month, specifically we focus on proposed reforms that the chief of staff of the Army is contemplating, in light of the growing demand for rotary-wing aviation in the theater and the difficulties aviators face in urban combat. A push to make conventional aviation more like special operations is one in a long list of recommendations by the Army's Aviation Task Force, a panel of 55 experts led by Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman. The chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, asked Thurman to probe the state of Army aviation, identify problems and propose fixes. Turn to page 26 for more details.

An entirely different part of the Army, the Criminal Investigation Command, is supporting the war by employing detective skills against potential U.S. foes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Deputy, commander Col. Paul R. Capstick, explains that, in the aftermath of 9/11, the CIC has taken on additional responsibilities in fighting terrorist organizations. This story begins on page 22.