| Comment Number: | OL-10508835 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 11:00:09 AM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
As a long-term employee of then Dept of the Navy, I am very concerned about the NSPS system. There is already a good-old-boy system in place that is used for promotions and awards. The NSPS will open the flood gates for these deplorable practices to continue and expand without limit. I am also concerned about retention rights and continuing to move up the career chain. Outstanding performers are routinely overlooked here, while the buddy system dictates how promotions and accolades are handed out. The NSPS is a very bad idea. It will lead to a loss of our most experienced people and discourage new talent from entering government service. A significant portion of my work has been in anti-terrorism and security, with specializations in explosives detection. I am one of the very people that the NSPS should have been created to retain and support. However, with over 20 years serving my military customers, I have begun to look toward private industry and will take my skills and experience elsewhere. I and many of my colleagues have been content with pay not being on parity with private scientists and engineers, in part because of the retention and promotion aspects of our current system, and because the work has been meaningful. With the errosion of our system to the NSPS, the risks associated with private industry are becoming less worrisome and the rewards more attractive. The NSPS will lead to reduced mission capability and ultimately, greater cost to the taxpayer as the government is forced to seek expertise outside its ranks because the most valuable personnel assets have left for greener pastures and new personnel have little motivation to enter government service.