@kyriacos reply I believe is the root of the answer to your question. However, another big factor is that war time is when DAPRA and other government agencies/budgets grow exponentially. Being a mechanical engineer myself, I know that creativity and invention hinges on one factor - money, support, and budget. War time budgets are way larger than peace time budgets (and for good reason if you ask me).
So yes, again, we are back to the love of money issue.