GAO laid out three main areas of concern regarding the
proposed regulations. First, they lack details for
implementing “adequate safeguards to help ensure fairness
and guard against abuse.”
Secondly, the regulations should, but don’t require “the
use of core competencies to communicate to employees what
is expected of them on the job.” Lastly, the regulations
fail to “identify a process for the continuing involvement
of employees in the planning, development, and
implementation of NSPS.”
As it has in past reports, GAO called for the development
of a Deputy Secretary of Defense for Management to act as
DoD’s Chief Management Officer, saying the position is
“essential to elevate, integrate, and institutionalize
responsibility for the success of DoD’s overall business
transformation efforts, including its new HR management
system.”
It also said DoD would benefit from a more robust
communications strategy “that creates shared expectations
among employees, employee representatives, and
stakeholders,” and that DoD needs an infrastructure in
place “to make effective use of its new authorities,”
before they become operational.
GAO noted that ten federal labor unions have filed suit
alleging that Defense has not followed statutory
requirements to include employee representatives in the
development of the new labor relations system authorized
as part of NSPS.
