DoD Outlines Pay Bands, Other Issues

The Defense Department has released draft versions of the detailed guidance needed to carry out many aspects of its new national security personnel system, in particular sketching out the pay banding arrangement that would replace the general schedule salary system there and become the basis for the pay for performance system. DoD envisions four basic career groupings—“standard,” covering about two-thirds of the workforce, “medical,” “scientific and engineering,” and “investigative and protective services.” Within each of those groupings there would be subgroups, with separate salary bands to replace the GS grade and step system. The draft guidance also covers topics such as conversion into the NSPS and workforce “shaping” issues.