Creation and Public Laws

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is legislation that Congress passes each year to make changes to the policies and organization of United States defense agencies and provide guidance on how military funding can be spent. The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 95 (P.L. 103-337) granted the Secretary of Defense the authority to conduct Demonstration Projects within DoD activities designated as Science & Technology Reinvention Laboratories (STRL), including the Naval Surface Warfare Center and the Naval Undersea Warfare Centers (WFCS).  Since 1995, Congress provide the Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories (STRLs) special hiring and personnel authorities through the NDAAs. 

The Personnel Demonstration Project is the Human Resources system designed to give warfare center managers the authority to manage.  The system is designed to make employees and managers partners in continuous employee and organizational development and creates pay and staffing flexibilities to support that goal. It is a complete personnel system with key objectives including:

• Supporting mission accomplishment and organizational excellence in a dynamic environment
• Shift from an entitlement to a performance based system
• Focus on the needs of employees
• Provide the flexibility to accommodate and support wide-ranging activity missions, strategies and cultures
• Allow more flexibility across and within the warfare centers.

Below is a summary of some of special authorities related to the STRLs.

Career Paths

The NAVSEA Warfare Centers Demonstration Project has changed the General Schedule (GS) classification system and replaced it with Career Paths and Bands.  A Career Path is a grouping of occupations which are sufficiently similar to warrant similar treatment in personnel and pay administration.   Career paths are a broad classification category containing groups of occupations or professions. The three career paths established under the Personnel Demonstration Project are Scientific and Engineering (ND), Administrative and Technical (NT), and General Support (NG).  

• The Scientific and Engineering (ND) Career Path includes all professional engineering positions; professional positions in the physical, biological, mathematical and computer sciences; selected professional positions in the social sciences; and student positions for training in these disciplines.
• The Administrative and Technical (NT) Career Path includes all professional or specialist positions in administrative, technical, and managerial fields (two grade interval positions); Technician positions that support scientific and engineering activities (one grade interval positions); and student positions for training in these disciplines. 
• The General Support (NG) Career Path includes assistant and clerical positions (one grade interval positions) and student positions for training in these disciplines. 

Broad Bands

Broad banding is a pay and classification approach that combines two or more grade into broad pay bands.

NSWC/NUWC PERSONNEL DEMO PROJECT SALARY TABLES