Final answer:
The Department of Defense sets promotion quotas for the top military grades based on FY end strength, adjusted by funding, regulatory limits, and projected vacancies. The General Schedule (GS) within the U.S. civil service system includes fifteen grades and type of employment categories like competitive, excepted, and senior executive service which differ in regulation and requirements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sets promotion quotas for the top military grades, based on the fiscal year (FY) end strength which is influenced by various factors including funding limits, regulatory limits, and the number of projected vacancies in specific grades. Although the original question pertains to the modern General Schedule (GS) within the United States civil service, it is important to differentiate between civil service grades and military promotions. The GS scale is predominantly for civilian employees and includes fifteen grades, each having ten steps. For example, GS-5 requires a bachelor’s degree, GS-9 requires a master’s degree, and at GS-13 and above, specialized experience is mandatory.
Regarding employment categories in the federal government: competitive service jobs are subject to strict regulation to ensure fairness in hiring; excepted service jobs are freer from these restrictions and can include positions like those at the CIA or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and the senior executive service requires applicants to demonstrate advanced executive core qualifications (ECQs).