The Coalition for National Security Research, of which AAU is a member, sent a letter congratulating Heidi Shyu on her confirmation as the next under secretary of defense for research and engineering. The coalition expressed an interest in working with her to further strengthen the Department of Defense’s science and technology enterprise. It also commended Shyu for her advance policy questions to the Senate Armed Services Committee on investments in basic research and expressed hope that she could work with the defense secretary and deputy secretary to reverse cuts in basic research funding.