The US military spends a considerable amount of money on biomedical research, usually on diseases and procedures that no one else prioritizes for funding, inclu

The US military spends a considerable amount of money on biomedical research, usually on diseases and procedures that no one else prioritizes for funding, including the rest of the government, because it is neither politically fashionable nor lucrative. The boring but important stuff that no politician will ever talk about in front of a camera. As a well-known example, modern trauma medicine was practically invented by the US Army. They systematically invested in research for the better part of a century to maximize survival rates, minimize recovery times, and restore full body function post-trauma to the extent possible. If you are in a serious car crash, most of the procedures to optimize your outcome were originally developed in a battlefield context by the military. They also fund a lot of research for relatively common diseases that attract little government funding otherwise due to lack of fashionability e.g. multiple sclerosis. Their incentives are different than either the rest of government or the private sector, and that is probably a good thing.