DoD has started phasing in the third group of employees covered by its national security personnel system, the so-called “spiral 1.3” group. The phase-in will continue through April and involve roughly 37,000 employees, although the Pentagon to date has not released a list of who will be affected. The addition brings the total of those under NSPS to around 115,000, all of whom to date have been in positions that are not eligible for union representation. A federal court ruling that blocked the labor relations and employee appeal provisions of NSPS remains pending before a federal appeals court.