The Coalition for National Science Funding and the Coalition for National Security Research have issued separate letters to Members of Congress urging the passage of funding legislation providing the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense’s basic research program with budget increases in FY 2015.  It is uncertain if Members will be given an opportunity to vote on an omnibus appropriations bill with these increases before short term funding expires on December 11.

A Defense Science Board Task Force recommends a 30% increase in university science and technology funding to enable the Department of Defense to better access new S&T and engineering capabilities. This was one of four major recommendations in the "Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on the Technology Capabilities of Non-DoD Providers," written in response to a provision in the FY 1998 defense authorization act, which recently became available.

When President Clinton meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a June summit in Moscow, one of the topics for discussion will be a US national missile defense (NMD) system, and possible revisions to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. While the Russians have been reluctant to consider revising the treaty to permit US construction of such a defensive shield, there are also questions and concerns about the proposed system closer to home.