We Are Experiencing Technique Problems

Old Diesel-Electric Romeo Class Submarine Used by North Korea
by Tom Tripp
As I suspect many before me have, I am struggling with literary technique in my novel. Because I am writing what might loosely be called a techno-thriller, I have a couple of specific obstacles to surmount. These include an over-abundance of technology, at the expense of character and plot; the requirement to ensure that my characters are fully and compellingly drawn, and a nightmare of a plot timeline that threatens to overwhelm me, never mind some future reader.
I know there are solutions to these problems, and I'm studying the approach of some of the more successful techno-thriller writers. At the same time, I'm trying to avoid having the novel pigeon-holed in one narrow genre. It's a story; my story, and it has elements of a techno-thriller, elements of a classic mystery, and even characteristics of a romance. I know I'll have to label it when I look for agents and publishers, but that will be the last thing I cave in to.
For now, I'm studying Michael Chrichton's Andromeda Strain, and Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October, both early classics of the techno-thriller genre. Chrichton used the mutation progress of an alien organism to pace his story, while Clancy used the mechanism of the calendar to force a structure onto his complicated plot. Both were natural and effective techniques. Clancy, a huge fan of military technology, also had to ensure he didn't overwhelm his readers with the nuts and bolts of mil-speak. In the case of The Hunt for Red October, he created an enthusiastic, likeable hero in Jack Ryan, whose genius and quirks (a fear of flying for a military/spy agency hero?) were the perfect foils for cold-war high-tech.
Neither Chrichton or Clancy really tackled romance in their novels; something I'm compelled to do in mine because it's part of the path my protagonist must follow to get where he needs to be. It's part of his humanity. He's not a robo-spy or a Rambo. So, I struggle with this character who lives on his own boat, understands the complicated technology of undersea and nuclear warfare, and is hamstrung by a completely unexpected romance.
My timeline suffers from the fact that the opening scene, designed to dramatically launch the story, requires a backstory weeks prior to the events of the first few pages. At the moment, I'm leaning toward moving that into an interior monologue-flashback for one of the bad guys. It will be a challenge because it can't be a giant dump of explanation. It has to feel like a real memory, naturally evoked and not out of place.
I say that I'm "struggling" with these technical issues, but that implies I'm not enjoying myself, when the reality is that I love this. I love solving these problems (at least I hope I'm solving them). And the time it takes is time that doesn't exist. When I'm writing all the clocks disappear, the calendar fades, day and night blend, and I'm in place of blissful ignorance.
What sorts of "technical issues" do you face in your storytelling?