Thursday, November 09, 2006

AMC hosts NSPS town hall

Headquarters, Army Materiel Command held a National Security Personnel System video teleconference Oct. 31 for headquarters and major subordinate command employees.

The event produced a standing-room only crowd in the Miller Operations Center, with several hundred more attendees via VTC, desktop video feeds and an overflow room.

Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin, AMC commanding general, hosted the event. A panel of NSPS experts including Mary Lacey, Department of Defense NSPS program executive officer; Donna Riney, Department of the Army NSPS program manager; Judy Fischel, AMC NSPS labor attorney; Ann Rodriguez, AMC NSPS program manager; and Maureen Vial, AMC deputy chief of staff for personnel and logistics, were on hand to brief NSPS and answer questions.

“NSPS will help us transform to a pay-for-performance culture — necessary to attract and retain the talent we need to support our national security missions,” said Griffin in his opening remarks.

According to the NSPS web site, the personnel system accelerates the DoD’s efforts to create a “Total Force” (military, civilian personnel, Reserve, Guard, and contractors), operating as one cohesive unit. Congress authorized the NSPS as part of the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act to increase effectiveness through a simplified personnel management system that improves the way it hires, assigns, compensates and rewards its employees, while preserving employee rights and benefits.

DoD will implement Spiral 1.2 of the NSPS conversion between October and January 2007. During 1.2, DoD will convert 66,000 jobs to the NSPS system. Beginning in November, AMC will convert 4,500 personnel.

“We set up NSPS so that it recognizes and rewards employees based on the work they do. Under NSPS, we ask employees to take ownership of their career and success. Spiral 1.1 was implemented with 100 percent success, and we are ready for the next step,” said Lacey.

A question and answer session opened the floor to employees at both HQAMC and MSCs in attendance via VTC. Employees asked questions regarding training, pay pools, appraisal ratings, pay band requirements, hiring and negotiating pay procedures.

For more information about AMC NSPS, visit http://www.amc.army.mil/amc/pe/html/nsps.htm.