Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
FederalTimes.com
October 10, 2007 By Stephen Losey
Beginning next year, Defense Department civilian employees who hope to reach the senior executive ranks will need a far more diverse range of experience, according to the Pentagon’s top civilian personnel official.
People seeking to move into the Senior Executive Service should seek experience working with multiple branches of the military, non-Defense departments, state, local and foreign governments and non-governmental organizations.
“If you have not had an assignment outside of your component and operated in the joint environment, you will not be competitive for selection into the Senior Executive Service in the very near future,” Patricia Bradshaw, deputy undersecretary of Defense for civilian personnel policy, said Oct. 10 at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington.
The Pentagon plans to issue new rules by the end of the year emphasizing the importance of joint duty for civilian employees, she said.
It won’t be enough for someone to simply work with another branch of the military, Bradshaw said. Today’s military is working more and more with other federal agencies such as the State and Homeland Security departments, nongovernmental organizations such as the Red Cross, and state, local and foreign governments, she said, and the Pentagon needs civilian leaders who know how those organizations operate.
“Joint is not just across another part of the Army,” Bradshaw said. “It’s much broader today, and we need leaders for the future who [can] step in someone else’s shoes to be able to make more informed decisions.”
Bradshaw made her comments during a panel discussion at the Association of the U.S. Army’s convention in Washington.
Requiring joint duty is a trend spreading throughout the federal government as part of an effort to foster interagency cooperation and information sharing. The government’s intelligence directorate in 2006 began ordering employees who hoped to become executives to first serve tours of duty at other intelligence agencies.
And the Pentagon already requires officers hoping to become generals or admirals to have served jointly with other military services.
“That’s the model,” Bradshaw said.
Defense had 1,104 SES employees in September 2006, according to the Government Accountability Office. Defense has a total of 663,000 civilian employees.
October 10, 2007 By Stephen Losey
Beginning next year, Defense Department civilian employees who hope to reach the senior executive ranks will need a far more diverse range of experience, according to the Pentagon’s top civilian personnel official.
People seeking to move into the Senior Executive Service should seek experience working with multiple branches of the military, non-Defense departments, state, local and foreign governments and non-governmental organizations.
“If you have not had an assignment outside of your component and operated in the joint environment, you will not be competitive for selection into the Senior Executive Service in the very near future,” Patricia Bradshaw, deputy undersecretary of Defense for civilian personnel policy, said Oct. 10 at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington.
The Pentagon plans to issue new rules by the end of the year emphasizing the importance of joint duty for civilian employees, she said.
It won’t be enough for someone to simply work with another branch of the military, Bradshaw said. Today’s military is working more and more with other federal agencies such as the State and Homeland Security departments, nongovernmental organizations such as the Red Cross, and state, local and foreign governments, she said, and the Pentagon needs civilian leaders who know how those organizations operate.
“Joint is not just across another part of the Army,” Bradshaw said. “It’s much broader today, and we need leaders for the future who [can] step in someone else’s shoes to be able to make more informed decisions.”
Bradshaw made her comments during a panel discussion at the Association of the U.S. Army’s convention in Washington.
Requiring joint duty is a trend spreading throughout the federal government as part of an effort to foster interagency cooperation and information sharing. The government’s intelligence directorate in 2006 began ordering employees who hoped to become executives to first serve tours of duty at other intelligence agencies.
And the Pentagon already requires officers hoping to become generals or admirals to have served jointly with other military services.
“That’s the model,” Bradshaw said.
Defense had 1,104 SES employees in September 2006, according to the Government Accountability Office. Defense has a total of 663,000 civilian employees.