My friends in that sector all seem to have a lot in common with any other job in a massive corporation. Lots of red tape, hard to advance, but you know your paycheck will clear the bank and nobody's demanding that you put in 100-hour weeks. The difference is the product you're working on, which can range from weapons systems to more mundane things... the "Defense industry" ranges from the assembly line making bullets to the janitorial companies specializing in maintaining military facilities.