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House Armed Services Committee
Subcommittee Chairman Ortiz' Opening Statement --March 06, 2007

"Welcome to today's Readiness Subcommittee hearing on the Department of Defense National Security Personnel System. I want to thank our witnesses for making the time to appear before us today. I know that our DOD witnesses had to change travel schedules. Mr. Gage and Mr. Stier already spoke this morning at an earlier hearing. And Dr. Masters has driven from Pittsburgh. So, again, I appreciate you all being here.

"The Congress created the National Personnel System (or NSPS) in 2003. It is a very big change to the way DOD manages its employees. However, this committee has not held any hearings on this system. We did not have any hearings back in 2003, and we have not had any oversight hearings since that time. That is why today's hearing is so important.

"Congress understands that the Defense Department is facing tough challenges in managing its large civilian employee population. That population is over 700,000 strong. And we recognize that we must address the critical concerns of hiring, promoting and keeping talented individuals. The NSPS is intended to help DOD respond to its human resources needs for the 21st century. But was it the right fix?

"Regulations to put the changes into place were published only two years ago, in November 2005. Some may believe that not enough time has passed for us to see how NSPS is working. I disagree. I believe that timely oversight is critical. Today's hearing will help us understand the problems that DOD may have found in the early stages of putting the elements of NSPS into place. What is DOD hearing from its employees? How is DOD taking care of concerns that have been raised by its employees? What is needed to move the system forward? What, if any, legislation might be needed to correct any problems found? What role are the employee unions playing in making the changes? These are only a few areas we need to review.

"We also will hear from the employee unions that felt there were many problems with the regulations. This led the unions to file a lawsuit. The unions are an important partner in managing the workforce. Therefore, I believe we must understand their views on the system, and listen to alternatives they might propose. Our other two witnesses are well-known for their research on personnel systems.

"Before starting, I would like to include a statement for inclusion in the record from the Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, on behalf of the United DOD Workers Coalition. I look forward to your testimony."