The Pentagon quashed a plan by the Air Force and other services to begin training personnel to work with the new National Security Personnel System. USAF has just contracted with a Virginia company to train its civilian personnel supervisors over the course of five years. A Dec. 23 memo put a hold on “NSPS-specific content training” for the month of January, saying DOD expected to provide a progress update early this month. The Pentagon needs “more time” to simplify how supervisors will measure performance and to ensure “the system is simple, clear, and understandable,” states the memo.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.