The US Air Force is also interested in near-space as part of its anti-missile defences, and uses balloons, too, in its case made by Raven Aerostar, which is also a NASA contractor. Balloons are a lot cheaper to build and launch than satellites (if easier to shoot down). One can imagine stratospheric balloons forming 'on-demand' high-altitude mesh networks relaying real-time data about what is below via communications satellites above.