ALBANY, N.Y. — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says she will serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Gillibrand, recently elected to the seat she was appointed to in 2009, had sought the committee seat.

She has worked on military issues like the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gay troops. And Gillibrand had served on the House Armed Services Committee when she represented an upstate New York congressional district.

Gillibrand says she will work for troops and their families and will try to strengthen connections between the military and New York’s high-tech and manufacturing sectors.

New York is home to Fort Drum, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.