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I was around at that time... in the military as a Medical
Officer. The answer is Pat Schroeder, and we DID “know about it”! Representative Pat Schroeder, from Colorado, was one of the women “Powers” in Congress at the time along with Diane Fienstein, Nancy Pelosi, and Barbra Boxer. She was elected in the Liberal Democrat class of 1972. She was a big proponent of Women’s rights and Women’s Health matters. She also served on the House Armed Services Committee for quite a while.

During the time frame of 1992, we were in the era of the “Peace Dividend”, “Military Downsizing”, and the Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) process. Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver was on the chopping block. Also recall that was an election year...

Put these ingredients into a pot and stir.... A Liberal Democrat with a penchant for spending other people’s money, a proponent of Women’s Health, a Congress Critter wanting to protect a Military “Base” within her area of concern from the BRAC thus enhancing re-election chances, a person quite familiar with Armed Services funding streams, and you have the recipe for Breast Cancer Research within DoD!

It was NOT a DoD “initiative” but was a piece of Congressional Pork. Nobody within the Military at the time thought it was an appropriate use of Military Resources. As I recall, this funding came as a Congressional directed “line-item” for Fitzsimmons Army Hospital to conduct Breast Cancer Research! It was a blatant effort (or Pork) to keep Fitzsimmons open, but it didn’t work. Fitzsimmons was closed in 1997... the same year Pat Schroeder ended here Congressional career.

If suggest you search for “Women in Congress” and look up Pat Schroeder.