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"Previous military experience isn’t necessary to get a job in the defense industry. Though getting a clearance without it is time consuming (have to start at a less sensitive position then wait the months for the clearance to come through)."

I have military experience that included much demolition, booby traps, most of the small arms used by the Army and instructor training.

The recruiters told me that I'm a no-go for software development or operating systems (all) for contractors, because I don't already have a clearance. The essence is that I was an enlisted (not officer) soldier in a combat specialty (a "male," even). All of my acquaintances who work for nearby contractors were officers (mostly women) in the Air Force or Navy.

There are most likely some foreign companies that will hire me to write telemetry code or 3D objects with direct rendering and voice recognition, though, even from here.

The essence is that I was an enlisted (not officer) soldier in a combat specialty (a "male," even). All of my acquaintances who work for nearby contractors were officers (mostly women) in the Air Force or Navy.

Officers generally have a 4 year degree before starting military service. It is also common for them to require a clearance in the process of that service. Do you have a BA or BS in a field relevant to the job opening? Do you have a record of accomplishments relevant to the job opening? If you have the necessary experience, the contractor will start the clearance process and put you on non-cleared tasks until the clearance reaches "interim" status. When it goes "final", you will get assignments that actually deal with the classified material.

If you don't have at least a BA or BS in a relevant field, you're going to have a very hard time competing with a field of persons with degrees. In the 90s there was such a demand for anyone who could perform web oriented development that a degree didn't matter. That level of work has been mostly sent offshore. I conducted interviews on behalf of a customer in Denver in March 2000. Over 400 applicants were reviewed. Nearly all had a 4 year degree. Most had pretty "fluffy" resumes. Only 7 were found worthy of hire. One of those bilged the 2nd day. He was a lot better at interviewing than actually doing the work.

There are most likely some foreign companies that will hire me to write telemetry code or 3D objects with direct rendering and voice recognition, though, even from here.

Perhaps you should take some of those offers to build a resume and references. Your resume needs to show a track record of success on work relevant to the prospective employer.