Officials select first for National Security Personnel System Published Dec. 15, 2004 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Navy Secretary Gordon England announced Dec. 15 the units selected to take part in the initial implementation of the human resources and appeals elements of the Department of Defense’s National Security Personnel System. Secretary England, who serves as the DOD senior executive overseeing the system, indicated that the employees slated for conversion will be included in groupings called “spirals.” Spiral 1 will include about 300,000 general schedule, U.S.-based Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and other Department of Defense civilian employees. It will be rolled out in three phases over an 18-month period beginning as early as July. DOD currently has about 700,000 civilian employees.Spiral 2 will comprise the remainder of the eligible work force and will be initiated following an assessment of Spiral 1 and after the secretary of defense certifies the performance-management system. Congress authorized the new personnel system as part of the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act. “NSPS provides an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the department through a simplified personnel-management system that will improve the way (the department) hires and assigns, as well as compensate and reward its employees,” Secretary England said. “(The system) will provide the department with a modern, flexible and agile human-resource system that can be more responsive to the national security environment, while preserving employee protections and benefits.” (Courtesy of American Forces Press Service)