Statement of Sean O’Keefe before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management – Part 1
Statement of Sean O’Keefe Administrator National Aeronautics and Space Administration Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia Committee on Governmental Affairs United States Senate
I am pleased to appear before the Subcommittee today to discuss
NASA’s Human Capital challenges. The Agency faces a
number of strategic obstacles to our ability to manage our
Human Capital effectively and efficiently. The President forwarded
legislation to Congress last May to provide our managers the
tools they need to reshape and reconstitute a capable world
class workforce. We’ve worked with Chairman Sherwood
Boehlert of the House Science Committee to reinvigorate legislative
solutions to address our workforce issues, and we appreciate
the hard work of Mr. Boehlert and his staff. Mr. Chairman,
I know that you are a firm believer that reforms are needed
to enable Federal managers to manage their human capital more
strategically, and have supported designing flexible tools
to make the federal service desirable. I welcome this opportunity
to work with you in these endeavors. We were similarly gratified
that the Homeland Security Act included several Government-wide
human capital provisions, including several that NASA had
on its legislative agenda forwarded by the Administration
last summer. This is a step in the right direction.
When President Eisenhower and the Congress created NASA, they sought to establish a government agency that could undertake and overcome the Nation’s technological challenges in aeronautics and space exploration. Without NASA, there would be no American presence to take up these challenges. During the Cold War, the very best minds of our Nation joined forces to transform the futuristic dreams of our parents’ generation into the historic reality our children learn about in today’s classrooms. The legacy of that work continues today. Across the Nation, NASA scientists, engineers, researchers, and technicians have made and continue to make remarkable discoveries and advancements that touch the lives of every American. We are an Agency committed to “pioneering the future” as only NASA can.
In the wake of the Columbia tragedy, much has been written and discussed in the public debate about the prospect of future expertise at NASA. One of the greatest challenges before the Agency today is having the people – the human capital – available to forge ahead and make the future breakthroughs tomorrow’s everyday reality. NASA’s history is celebrated worldwide for having accomplished the things that no one has ever done before. None of those achievements happened by accident. They were the result of management innovation, revolutionary technologies and solid science and research. These three pillars of NASA’s achievement were built by the men and women of NASA and without them, the history of achievement that we celebrate in aeronautics and space exploration never would have been possible. History is made everyday at NASA; but to maintain our leadership position, a new generation must be forged to carry our Nation’s innovation and exploration forward.
The legislation we will forward to the 108th Congress will be the same as that which the President submitted last year, with the possible inclusion of additional provisions recently developed, and is intended to provide us the flexible management tools to make sure NASA can continue to attract and retain the best and brightest minds and to reconfigure and reconstitute that workforce to meet the changing demands of that future innovation and exploration. The list of tools includes:
To recruit new talent:
Scholarship-for-Service Program
Enhanced recruitment bonuses
· Remove limitation to 25% of base pay for only one year & include locality pay
· Allow more than one method of payment (lump sum). E.g., installments pegged to continued performance.
In addition, Streamlined Hiring Authority has been provided on a government-wide basis by section 1312 of the Homeland Security Act (P. L. 107-296):
· direct hiring for positions in "critical needs" or "severe shortage" categories, and
· category rating system for evaluating candidates (for any position) able to select from top group, not limited to top three or numerical ratings
To retain existing talent, attract short-term mid-level talent:
1. NASA-Industry Exchange Program
2. Allow extension of IPA Assignments from 4 to 6 years
3. Term Appointments
· Allow extension of term appointments from 4 up to 6 years
· Allow conversion to permanent without second round of competition if competitively selected for term appointment
Many NASA projects run more than 4 years and would benefit for retention of these individuals for the duration of the project.
4. Enhanced relocation and retention bonuses
· Remove limitation to 25% of base pay for only one year & include locality pay
· Allow more than one method of payment (lump sum). E.g., installments pegged to continued performance.
5. Allow increase maximum annual pay for NASA excepted service appointments from $134,000 to $142,500
6. Allow increased pay for critical positions to level of the Vice President.
To try other new, quicker and more effective tools:
Modify current law to allow NASA to request and implement a demonstration project, subject to OPM approval, quicker and without any limitation on the number of employees that would be covered by the project.
I note with appreciation to you, Mr. Chairman, that several of these proposals were enacted into law last year as part of your amendment to the Homeland Security Act.
· In addition, we are working with the Administration on further legislative tools, such as enhanced annual leave, that may be forwarded later this session.
The reduction in NASA’s workforce during the 1990’s has led to an imbalance of skills; too may in some areas not enough in emerging technologies (e.g., nanotechnology). In addition, NASA is confronted with convergence of three trends:
1. reduction in number of science and engineering graduates;
2. increased competition from traditional aerospace sector and non-aerospace sector for this reduced pool of scientists and engineers; and
3. increasing number of experienced NASA employees eligible for retirement.
NASA needs to have better tools to recruit new hires, retain existing mid-level workforce, and reconfigure the workforce to meet emerging needs.
Vision And Mission
When I assumed the leadership of NASA a little over a year ago, I wanted to ensure that this pathfinder Agency had the means and mission to support that pioneering spirit through the next several decades. NASA has a vital role to play in today’s world. My testimony today will touch on the management challenges that NASA must overcome if we are to achieve our mission. NASA is intent on continuing the gains made over 45 years while pushing the edge of the envelope of what appears today to be impossible. We have developed a roadmap to continue our work in a more efficient, collaborative manner. NASA will fulfill its imperative not only for the sake of human knowledge – but also for our future and our security.
In that spirit, we developed a new strategic framework and vision for the Agency. It is a blueprint for the future of exploration and a roadmap for achievement that we hope will improve the lives of everyone in this country and everyone on this planet. Our new vision is to improve life here, to extend life to there, and to find life beyond. This vision frames all that we do and how we do it. NASA will do this by implementing our mission – to understand and protect our home planet; to explore the Universe and search for life; to inspire the next generation of explorers-as only NASA can.
To understand and protect our home planet, NASA will work to develop and employ the technologies that will make our Nation and society a better place. We will work to develop technology to help forecast the impact of storms on one continent upon the crop production on another; we will work to trace and predict the patterns of mosquito-borne diseases, and study climate, geography and the environment – all in an effort to understand the multiple systems of our planet and our impact upon it.
Our mission’s second theme is to explore the universe and search for life. NASA will seek to develop the advanced technologies, robotics, and science that eventually will enable us to explore and seek firsthand the answers and the science behind our most fundamental inquiries. If we are to achieve such ambitious objectives, there is much we still must learn and many technical challenges that must be conquered.
For example, today’s rockets that have been the engine of exploration since the inception of space travel are today at the limit of what they can deliver. Propulsion is only one of the challenges facing further exploration of space. The physical challenges incurred by our space explorers also must be better defined. We still do not know or understand the long-term effects of radiation and exposure to a microgravity environment upon the human body. The infant steps we have taken via the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station have given us many answers to explore, but they have yielded even more questions for us to consider.
Our third mission objective is to inspire the next generation of explorers. America often looks to NASA to help our Nation build an unequalled pool of scientific and technical talent. NASA accepts that responsibility and in partnership with the US Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, other Federal agencies, and industry and educational partners, we will work to motivate our Nation’s youth to embrace the study of mathematics, science and engineering disciplines. To emphasize the important role that education plays at NASA, last year we established a new Education Enterprise. The Education Enterprise will unify the educational programs in NASA’s other five enterprises and at our 10 Field Centers under a One NASA Education vision. NASA’s Education imperative will permeate and be embedded within all the Agency’s initiatives. The dedicated people in this new Enterprise will work to inspire more students to pursue the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and ultimately to choose careers in aeronautics and space-related fields. Without the scholars to take the study of these disciplines to their next level, the missions we seek to lead remain bound to the launch pad. As the US Department of Labor has reported, the opportunities in the technology sector are expected to quadruple in this decade. Unfortunately, the pool of college students enrolled in mathematics, science and engineering courses continues to decline. NASA faces similar challenges with having the scientific and engineering workforce necessary to fulfill its missions.
Our mission statement concludes with the statement, “as only NASA can.” Our Agency is one of the Nation’s leading research and technology Federal agencies. We possess some of our Nation’s most unique tools, capabilities and expertise. NASA represents a National asset and investment unparalleled in the world. Nonetheless, to achieve success in our mission, our activities must focus on those areas where NASA can make unique contributions. To make the best use of our workforce and other resources, we must also leverage the unique contributions of our partners in academia, industry, and other federal agencies.
Our commitment to the American taxpayer is to continue providing a direct and very tangible means of improving life on our planet. We will overcome challenges and push on in the name of science and in the pursuit of knowledge to benefit all people. Extending life beyond the reaches of our Earth is not a process driven by any particular destination. Rather it is driven by science that will contribute to the social, economic, and intellectual growth of our society and the people who make that science possible are our greatest asset.
Workforce Challenges
NASA’s ability to fulfill its ambitious mission is dependent on the quality of its workforce. An Agency is only as strong as its people. They need to be world-class if they are to be expected to break new ground in science and technology, explore the universe, or pioneer exciting discoveries here on Earth and beyond. Being “good enough” will not suffice; NASA needs the best and the brightest to build a world-class workforce. This means that NASA requires not only a broad pool of scientists and engineers who form the core of our workforce, but also highly competent professionals who can support NASA’s technical programs, and address the Agency’s financial, human capital, acquisition, business management, and equal opportunity challenges.
Today, NASA faces an increasing management challenge in attracting, hiring, and retaining the talented men and women who, inspired by our amazing discoveries and innovations of the past 4 decades, will help mold the future of our Nation’s aeronautics and space programs. As a Nation, we must ensure that the Agency continues to have the scientific and technical expertise necessary to preserve our role as the world’s leader in aeronautics, space and Earth science, and emerging technology research. The President already has indicated his commitment to the strategic management of human capital in the Federal workforce, by making this imperative, first on in his Management Agenda. In fact, the President’s Management Agenda specifically references the human capital challenge that NASA faces and related skill imbalances. The President’s recognition of the human capital challenges faced by NASA and other agencies is shared by the Government Accounting Office, which has placed the management of human capital as one of the items on the government-wide “high-risk list.”
At NASA, we are ready to do our part to make sure that we have the best people for the job at hand, and to do that we need to manage this resource efficiently and responsibly, as well as compete favorably in a very competitive market place. We have developed a Strategic Human Capital Plan to establish a systematic, Agency-wide approach to human capital management, aligned with our vision and mission. The Plan assesses NASA’s current state with respect to human capital management, then goes on to identify goals, barriers, improvement initiatives, and intended outcomes. The Plan is an integrated approach to address the concerns of the Administration as well as our internal human capital needs. We are making progress, as evidenced by our improved ratings on the President’s Management Scorecard.
NASA’s ability to implement its mission in science, technology, and exploration depends on our ability to reconfigure and reconstitute a world-class workforce – peopled with skilled workers who are representative of our Nation’s strengths. The human capital flexibilities that we are requesting will help us shape the workforce necessary to implement our mission today and in the future.
Today, NASA’s ability to maintain a world-class workforce with the talent it needs to perform cutting-edge work is threatened by several converging trends. Each trend in isolation is a concern; in concert, the indicators are alarming. We need to address these trends now by anticipating and mitigating their impact on NASA’s workforce in the near-term and beyond. These indicators could lead to a severe workforce crisis if we do not take prompt action. The warning signs are here, and we are paying attention. Many of our planned actions to deal with threats to our human capital are possible without the aid of Congress; but some of the solutions require legislation. We are proposing a number of human capital provisions, which the Administration believes are crucial steps toward averting a workforce crisis.
The trends I’d like to discuss with you today fall into 2 broad categories. First, there are trends that affect the nationwide labor market, and the applicant pool from which we draw our workers. These indicators affect other employers, not just NASA, and point to worsening employee pipeline issues in the future. Secondly, I would like to address a number of NASA-specific demographics. Coupled with the nationwide issues we face, the NASA picture shows us that we need to take action and take it now.
