Tuesday, January 23, 2007

HASC looks at military readiness and civilian personnel

Focusing on the readiness of military forces, the House Armed Services Committee plans to
  • Increase their oversight in the “service’s readiness programs to ensure that military units possess the required resources and training to complete their assigned full-spectrum combat mission.”
  • Conduct “vigorous oversight [my emphasis] of all of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) readiness plans and programs to ensure military units are fully trained and equipped for combat.”

Such emphasis on readiness is important as we continue an extended war on terrorism and other actions around the globe. For us in the procurement community, that is welcome news.

Since many of us are government employees, it is helpful to learn of the approach the committee intends to take toward civilian personnel. The committee plans to:

  • Significantly increase oversight of civilian personnel pay and policies…(paying) close attention to implementation of the pay for performance system, and developments with the DOD attempt to modify the collective bargaining and employee appeal rights portions of NSPS.
  • “…increase its oversight of the Department's use of authorities such as A-76 to contract out DOD activities... and will closely examine the cost-benefit analyses of the existing and future contracting out of functions done by DOD employees or military members.”

A close look as NSPS was not unanticipated, regardless who had won in November. However, I suspect the closer scrutiny of the collective bargaining provisions of NSPS is a result of the new members of Congress.

Some in government have said that the A-76 process may have gone too far. This is against what the President's direction has been during thepast 6 years. Perhaps it is due a closer look.

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