United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2003-05-12 monographic deposited born digital 20 p. GA 1.13:GAO-03-493T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T P0b002ee180386a2a f:d03493t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T GAO-03-493T Civilian employees Federal employees Personnel management Strategic planning Human resources utilization DOD National Security Personnel System Testimony A06890

People are at the heart of an organization's ability to perform its mission. Yet, a key challenge for the Department of Defense (DOD), as for many federal agencies, is to strategically manage its human capital. With about 700,000 civilian employees on its payroll, DOD is the second largest federal employer of civilians in the nation. Although downsized 38 percent between fiscal years 1989 and 2002, this workforce has taken on greater roles as a result of DOD's restructuring and transformation. DOD's proposed National Security Personnel System (NSPS) would provide for wide-ranging changes in DOD's civilian personnel pay and performance management, collective bargaining, rightsizing, and other human capital areas. The NSPS would enable DOD to develop and implement a consistent DOD-wide civilian personnel system. Given the massive size of DOD, the proposal has important precedent-setting implications for federal human capital management and OPM. This testimony provides GAO's preliminary observations on aspects of DOD's proposal to make changes to its civilian personnel system and discusses the implications of such changes for government-wide human capital reform. Past reports have contained GAO's views on what remains to be done to bring about lasting solutions for DOD to strategically manage its human capital. DOD has not always concurred with our recommendations. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T.pdf GAO-03-493T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-493T Testimony GAO-03-493T; Human Capital: DOD's Civilian Personnel Strategic Management and the Proposed National Security Personnel System; Civilian employees Federal employees Personnel management Strategic planning Human resources utilization DOD National Security Personnel System Title 5 Section 7112 5 U.S.C. 7112 Public Law 107-296