The United States Army Medical Unit (1956–1969) — a now defunct medical research unit for biodefense — was at Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA. In contrast to the U.S. Army Biological Warfare Laboratories (1943–1969), also at Fort Detrick, the USAMU's mission was purely to develop defensive measures against bio-agents, as opposed to weapons development. The USAMU was the predecessor to today's USAMRIID.