When Homeland Security officials said last week that DHS would postpone the start of its new personnel system until January 2007 that left the way open for DOD to be first to unroll its version of the performance and occupation-based pay system. However, the Pentagon seems tangled up in the rules game. Earlier this summer, it postponed start up of its national security personnel system from July to this fall. However, it has yet to introduce final rules, which must have a 30-day review period.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.