Effective national organizations are needed to coordinate and ensure the success of these systems. Cross-disciplinary, competitive reviews should be held about every 5 years for all NSF astronomy facilities, with prioritization and possible closure or privatization as standard policy. The Department of Energy should develop a strategic plan that would facilitate coordination and cooperation with other agencies on science of mutual interest. In particular, the committee has recommended a number of moderate NASA missions for the coming decade. The multi-wavelength, interdisciplinary studies that are often needed to understand astronomical phenomena can in some cases be done only through interagency cooperation.
International collaboration is essential for many of the initiatives recommended by the committee.
Because of its broad public appeal, astronomy could provide a starting point. The result of this effort is an ambitious vision for astronomy and astrophysics in the first decade of the new millennium. The initiatives recommended by the committee have the potential to transform our understanding of the universe.