The tyranny of "non-compete" clauses is ending, maybe?

[Maxmars]

An NDA would cover all of that, no?

Not really.  Some of the more cutting edge and military job position demand something more.  It is one of those exceptions that I can understand exist.

While FCD and I don't agree on the minutiae we do agree that the cost is to the tax-payer, and that alone makes it something we need to resolve definitively. 

I expect that employers, especially those deal in defense and super high tech, require more robust protections against losing their hold on what they provide.  Theoretically, NDA's only protect intellectual property (for the most part.)  In some cases there is more to protect than that, presumably.