At ClearanceJobs Connect 2026 in Reston, Virginia, DHI Group CEO Art Zeile made a bold case. He argued that this is the best time in history to be in defense contracting, and the best time to be a defense recruiter.
Zeile walked through where the FY2027 defense budget stood at the time of the event. The government was operating under a continuing resolution set to expire December 11. The House had passed a defense authorization of $1.15 trillion, about 15% above the prior year. Historically, annual growth has been closer to 3–4%. With the administration’s requested $350 billion supplemental, the total would reach $1.5 trillion. By Zeile’s numbers, that is roughly 4.6% of GDP, which economists generally associate with wartime footing.
Established primes can’t absorb that kind of growth alone, he said, so new defense tech companies are filling the gap. In rocket motors alone, he counted a jump from two major suppliers to 11. Roughly 10,000 new defense tech companies have launched in the past two years, many of which will need cleared workers.
Zeile also challenged the idea that AI is shrinking demand for tech talent. Citing Indeed and CompTIA data, he showed that software development postings are rising even as other hiring slows. Major tech and AI companies are also pouring billions into forward deployed engineering teams. Meanwhile, European defense firms such as Rheinmetall and Helsing are expanding in the United States to tap its talent pool.
Taken together, he said, these trends point to more demand for cleared tech talent than there is supply.
Earlier in the session, Mark Chase, who leads product and engineering at ClearanceJobs, previewed what’s coming. He highlighted a new candidate profile with availability dates and polygraph details, promoted jobs in general availability, and new career development discounts for candidates.
Zeile’s takeaway for recruiters was clear: as the battle for cleared talent intensifies, your work becomes more valuable.
