The Department of Defense and the US Office of Personnel Management unveiled the final regulations for the proposed National Security Personnel System (NSPS), putting them into the Federal Register. At a Pentagon news conference on Oct. 26, Acting Undersecretary of Defense Gordon England said that NSPS will provide a modern, flexible system that will better support its workers. The labor relations part of the program will go into effect after a mandatory 30-day review by Congress. Public employee unions have criticized the Pentagon for not giving them adequate information on the program, noting changes to performance evaluation and firing regulations.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.