I think the point is that the military is the easiest sell - sadly - for such levels of massive investment. Ensuring the survival of the American nation is some

I think the point is that the military is the easiest sell - sadly - for such levels of massive investment. Ensuring the survival of the American nation is something that Americans seem very willing to spend lots of money on. If earth was for certain doomed in a short term astronomical sense, I'd wager that NASA would see all the funding and then some that the military complex sees. The inventions listed are all beneficial spin offs of ones that were designed to further the military's main goal: killing. It is unlikely that something such as RADAR is invented when it is if one does not need to shoot down aircraft carrying thousands of pounds of bombs. There are simpler and easier ways to accomplish everything else we use RADAR for.