DoD Reform Proposal Coming Soon

The Defense Department is expected to issue soon its proposal for a “national security personnel system” that effectively would break DoD away from many standard civil service procedures. While a detailed legislative proposal is still pending, officials have been sketching in more details of their intentions in their public statements, emphasizing the need for greater flexibility. They have said this will include: agility to convert certain military positions to civilian employee performance; faster hiring procedures, including on-the-spot hiring authority in certain situations; new authorities for rehiring federal annuitants; allowing supervisors to adjust job responsibilities without the need to recompete the position; restrictions on union rights to bargain certain issues at the national level; a greater emphasis on pay for performance; and making pay overall more competitive with private sector salaries.