2d TSB, NETCOM hosts CES sensing sessions

Photo By Candy C Knight | The 2d Theater Signal Brigade hosted Employee Sensing Sessions Sept. 13 to 15, 2023, at Wiesbaden, Germany, regarding U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command’s conversion to the Cyber Excepted Service. The sensing sessions allowed the brigade’s civilian employees to have their concerns addressed by subject matter experts regarding how the CES conversion affects their current and future career prospects. (U.S. Army photo by Candy Knight)  

WIESBADEN, HE, GERMANY

09.15.2023

Story by Candy C Knight 

2d Theater Signal Brigade

WIESBADEN, Germany — The 2d Theater Signal Brigade’s mission to enable decision dominance across Europe and Africa isn’t limited to combat forces and mission partners. It also includes ensuring your workforce has the resources, tools and insight to make decisions that affect their professional careers and development.

The brigade’s S-1 personnel directorate hosted Employee Sensing Sessions Sept. 13 to 15, 2023, at Wiesbaden, Germany, regarding U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command’s conversion to the Cyber Excepted Service. The sensing sessions allowed the brigade’s civilian employees to have their concerns addressed by subject matter experts regarding how the CES conversion affects their current and future career prospects.

NETCOM began transitioning its Department of the Army civilian workforce to the Cyber Excepted Service earlier this year. CES is a new personnel system offering more flexibility for recruiting, retaining, and developing cyber professionals across the Department of Defense.

Due to 2d Theater Signal Brigade’s location in Europe, many members had specific questions and concerns on how the CES transition affects their overseas entitlements and rights.

Mrs. Brittany Arvizu, NETCOM’s CES Program Manager and Mr. Steven M. Latour, Deputy G1, U.S. Army Cyber Command, traveled to Germany to hold in-person and virtual sensing sessions. Each session included a briefing, followed by a questions-and-answers portion to allow employees the opportunity to receive additional information, and address their concerns regarding the CES transition.

Although newly hired personnel will fall under the CES personnel system, conversion to CES is optional for current employees. Current employees must either voluntarily enroll in the CES system or remain within their current personnel system.

Arvizu explained how CES strengthens NETCOM’s ability to accomplish the cyber mission in an ever-changing national security environment.

“With CES, hiring managers have greater flexibilities to identify, recruit, and hire quality talent. Additionally, CES provides many opportunities for current DoD employees who choose to opt-in to CES, including qualification-based promotions with no time-in-grade requirement, Quality Step Increase awards up to step 11 and 12 with justification, future career management programs, and developmental and rotational assignments across the DoD cyber community.”

Employees who transition to CES are converted “as-is” from the competitive service to the excepted service. As-is means there will be no change in salary, grade, job title, position and duties. The decision to convert to CES is a one-time opportunity for current employees.

Employees choosing not to CES won’t have additional opportunities to convert later. However, employees retain the right to apply and compete for other CES positions or opportunities if qualified for advertised positions.

“The sessions were very informative,” said Mr. James Ellersick, Director, Special Programs Directorate, 2d Theater Signal Bde. “This new system presented a slew of questions individuals needed answers to before making their decisions, but it was good to have some of those questions answered by the subject matter experts.”

One key focus area centered on how transitioning to CES affects employees with ‘return rights.’

A Return Rights Agreement is an employment agreement between the employee and the Agency that allows for the employee’s position, or a like position, to be held for the employee’s return from the overseas area for a period of five years.

Arvizu addressed the differences between statutory and administrative return rights.

“Statutory return rights are for competitive service employees only, and they’re administered by law. So if you leave a competitive service position CONUS for a competitive service position OCONUS, they mandatorily have to give you statutory return rights,” she explained. “That means by law, they are mandated to return you to your CONUS position after you have completed your rotation. Administrative return rights are administered by DoD policy, so all accepted service employees are only eligible for administrative return rights. That will include CES employees.”

Employees with administrative return rights will be placed in the position that he or she held immediately before the assignment unless determined by a mission-critical need or if the position doesn’t exist. If returned for a mission-critical need or their previous position no longer exists, the employee shall be placed in another existing or new continuous position.

“It was great having NETCOM and ARCYBER present during the CES sessions to address questions in-person,” said Mr. David Albert, Program Manager, Nuclear Surety, 2d Theater Signal Bde. “However, some aspects of CES created more questions than answers for my colleagues and me. To convert or not to covert is clearly an individual decision each of us will need to make based on the potential pros and cons to our careers.”

Latour encouraged employees to review the available information and CES FAQs before making a decision.

“Ask yourself, ‘How does converting benefit me? Are there future potential benefits? What are the disadvantages to converting or not converting?’ Review the CES policies, briefings, information material, and Frequently Asked Questions. A lot of information is available to help you make the decision that is best for your career.”

Brigade employees will receive their Individual CES Opt-In Memorandum with Details in October. Once received, employees have a 30-day deliberation window to seek further information to help them decide.

The DoD Cyber Excepted Service is an enterprise-wide approach for managing civilian cyber professionals across the Department. The CES is aligned to Title 10 and Title 5 provisions, offering flexibilities for recruiting, retaining, and developing cyber professionals across the Department.

Visit https://public.cyber.mil/wid/dod-cyber-excepted-service-ces/ for more information on CES.

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• Date Taken: 09.15.2023
• Date Posted: 09.20.2023 00:20
• Story ID: 453838
• Location: WIESBADEN, HE, DE