YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Pay increases for U.S. civilian appropriated-fund employees soon will be based on performance and mission contribution rather than length of service, according to a reclassification ordered by the Department of Defense.

At Yokota, the National Security Personnel System will replace the General Schedule — or GS — structure beginning Jan. 21. The base’s civilian personnel office is holding a town hall meeting Thursday to discuss the upcoming changes. It’s scheduled for 9 to 10 a.m. in the base theater.

Maureen Weber, the 374th Airlift Wing’s deputy civilian personnel officer, said NSPS is designed to give DOD managers and employees greater flexibility while enhancing mission success in an evolving national security environment.

“It’s a pay-banded system that compensates people a little differently and allows DOD to reward them for good performance,” she said Friday. “The current GS system is mostly based on longevity. Performance really doesn’t factor into how much you earn, like it does in the private sector.

“This will make it a little easier for people to move from job to job and also to be rewarded for their performance, rather than their length of service.”

Supervisors and employees should benefit from enhanced open communications that let both know what’s expected, she said, adding that NSPS also promotes broader skill development and advancement opportunities.

All of Yokota’s more than 200 U.S. civilian appropriated-fund employees will be converted to the new system, Weber said.

But according to the National Security Personnel System’s Web site at http://www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps, certain DOD categories are excluded, including intelligence personnel and employees of the Defense Laboratories listed in the NSPS law.

“Facing the global war on terror and other mission changes, this will allow us to adapt more quickly … as our focus changes,” Weber said. “It’s intended for us to be more responsive to mission changes and compensation. This will make us a more marketable employer.”