In a further signal that the Defense Department is stepping back from its earlier actions to create a new personnel system for itself as authorized by a law passed last year, new DoD briefing papers say the department will “restart the dialog and engagement process across all fronts-with leaders, managers and employees along with union leaders.” The papers separately say DoD will “restart the consultation process with union leaders” and that “there are currently no ‘proposals’ on the table.” DoD came under heavy criticism from federal unions and some in Congress earlier this year when it released a draft of revised union and employee appeal rights; the Office of Personnel Management also raised some objections in internal communications. DoD later announced it was slowing down the process and that it would issue changes as formal regulations in conjunction with OPM, rather than making changes as DoD policy directives, and created a new office to oversee the process. Mary E. Lacey, a careerist most recently with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, has been named to head the office.