score:2
It's clear from the sutta below that trade or livelihood related to weapons is forbidden, or at least, very strongly discouraged, for lay followers.
From AN 5.177:
“Mendicants, a lay follower should not engage in these five trades.
What five?
Trade in weapons, living creatures, meat, intoxicants, and poisons.
Satthavaṇijjā, sattavaṇijjā, maṃsavaṇijjā, majjavaṇijjā, visavaṇijjāA lay follower should not engage in these five trades.”
Upvote:1
The question is formulated in such a way that it doesn't provide factual information about what this development entails, and erroneously categorizes this as "weapons research".
The DoD is prohibited from developing, or outsourcing the development of, biological weapons. The US (and most of the world) signed the Biological Weapons Convention. As stated in Article 1 of the BWC:
"Each State Party to this Convention undertakes never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain:
(1) Microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;
(2) Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict."
The United States Congress passed the Bioweapons Anti-Terrorism Act in 1989 to implement the Convention. The law applies the Convention's convent to countries and private citizens, and criminalizes violations of the Convention.
The clause "no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes" refers to a concept called Biodefense: a system of planned actions to counter and reduce the risk of biological threats and to prepare, respond to, and recover from them if they happen.
Products currently being produced or under development through military research include:
USAMRIID also provides diagnostic and epidemiological support to federal, state, and local agencies and foreign governments. Examples of assistance rendered to civilian health efforts by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) include:
These developments are clearly not weapons. They are medications and antidotes.