Military bioprograms starve civil labs

State offensive biological programs can hoard funding, staff and equipment while civilian vaccine and hospital infrastructure deteriorates, producing degraded public‑health capacity and local black‑market diversion. These dynamics persist even when formal budgets include civilian functions, because political patrons prioritize military prestige and discretionary spending over healthcare outcomes. — Highlighting this tradeoff reframes biosecurity and health funding debates: hiding offensive capacity inside dual‑use organizations can worsen domestic health and complicate international inspection and treaty enforcement.