What is the National Security Personnel System (NSPS)?
Section 9902 of Title 5, United States Code, enacted by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108-136, November 24, 2003) gives the Department of Defense (DoD) the authority to establish a more flexible civilian personnel management system. NSPS will allow the Department to be a more competitive and progressive employer at a time when the country’s national security demands a highly responsive system of civilian personnel management. NSPS, once the design is finalized, will likely include changes in the way civilian jobs are graded and classified (a shift to Pay Bands), in the way the employee and manager performance objectives are set, managed and rewarded (Pay for Performance), in the way the Department works with its unions (Labor Relations), in the way the Department hires, promotes and adjusts its workforce size (Staffing Flexibilities) and in the way the Department addresses personnel issues, discipline and appeals. The specifics of each of the a
