diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
index 8b9ee18966..911f247c8a 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -231,6 +231,9 @@ Release 2.4.0 - UNRELEASED
 
     YARN-1616. RMFatalEventDispatcher should log the cause of the event (kasha)
 
+    YARN-1624. QueuePlacementPolicy format is not easily readable via a JAXB
+    parser (Aditya Acharya via Sandy Ryza)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
   BUG FIXES
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/QueuePlacementPolicy.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/QueuePlacementPolicy.java
index d802e70964..1fd18e7c97 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/QueuePlacementPolicy.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/QueuePlacementPolicy.java
@@ -80,7 +80,13 @@ public static QueuePlacementPolicy fromXml(Element el, Set<String> configuredQue
       Node node = elements.item(i);
       if (node instanceof Element) {
         Element element = (Element)node;
-        String ruleName = element.getTagName();
+
+        String ruleName = element.getAttribute("name");
+        if ("".equals(ruleName)) {
+          throw new AllocationConfigurationException("No name provided for a " +
+            "rule element");
+        }
+
         Class<? extends QueuePlacementRule> clazz = ruleClasses.get(ruleName);
         if (clazz == null) {
           throw new AllocationConfigurationException("No rule class found for "
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestAllocationFileLoaderService.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestAllocationFileLoaderService.java
index dc28a3b3ff..939d53b570 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestAllocationFileLoaderService.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestAllocationFileLoaderService.java
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ public void testReload() throws Exception {
     out.println("  </queue>");
     out.println("  <queue name=\"queueB\" />");
     out.println("  <queuePlacementPolicy>");
-    out.println("    <default />");
+    out.println("    <rule name='default' />");
     out.println("  </queuePlacementPolicy>");
     out.println("</allocations>");
     out.close();
@@ -113,8 +113,8 @@ public void testReload() throws Exception {
     out.println("    <maxRunningApps>3</maxRunningApps>");
     out.println("  </queue>");
     out.println("  <queuePlacementPolicy>");
-    out.println("    <specified />");
-    out.println("    <default />");
+    out.println("    <rule name='specified' />");
+    out.println("    <rule name='default' />");
     out.println("  </queuePlacementPolicy>");
     out.println("</allocations>");
     out.close();
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestQueuePlacementPolicy.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestQueuePlacementPolicy.java
index 130fe35327..5b5a51fa78 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestQueuePlacementPolicy.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/fair/TestQueuePlacementPolicy.java
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ public static void setup() {
   public void testSpecifiedUserPolicy() throws Exception {
     StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer();
     sb.append("<queuePlacementPolicy>");
-    sb.append("  <specified />");
-    sb.append("  <user />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='specified' />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='user' />");
     sb.append("</queuePlacementPolicy>");
     QueuePlacementPolicy policy = parse(sb.toString());
     assertEquals("root.specifiedq",policy.assignAppToQueue("specifiedq", "someuser"));
@@ -62,9 +62,9 @@ public void testSpecifiedUserPolicy() throws Exception {
   public void testNoCreate() throws Exception {
     StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer();
     sb.append("<queuePlacementPolicy>");
-    sb.append("  <specified />");
-    sb.append("  <user create=\"false\" />");
-    sb.append("  <default />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='specified' />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='user' create=\"false\" />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='default' />");
     sb.append("</queuePlacementPolicy>");
     QueuePlacementPolicy policy = parse(sb.toString());
     assertEquals("root.specifiedq", policy.assignAppToQueue("specifiedq", "someuser"));
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ public void testNoCreate() throws Exception {
   public void testSpecifiedThenReject() throws Exception {
     StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer();
     sb.append("<queuePlacementPolicy>");
-    sb.append("  <specified />");
-    sb.append("  <reject />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='specified' />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='reject' />");
     sb.append("</queuePlacementPolicy>");
     QueuePlacementPolicy policy = parse(sb.toString());
     assertEquals("root.specifiedq", policy.assignAppToQueue("specifiedq", "someuser"));
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ public void testSpecifiedThenReject() throws Exception {
   public void testOmittedTerminalRule() throws Exception {
     StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer();
     sb.append("<queuePlacementPolicy>");
-    sb.append("  <specified />");
-    sb.append("  <user create=\"false\" />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='specified' />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='user' create=\"false\" />");
     sb.append("</queuePlacementPolicy>");
     parse(sb.toString());
   }
@@ -99,9 +99,9 @@ public void testOmittedTerminalRule() throws Exception {
   public void testTerminalRuleInMiddle() throws Exception {
     StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer();
     sb.append("<queuePlacementPolicy>");
-    sb.append("  <specified />");
-    sb.append("  <default />");
-    sb.append("  <user />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='specified' />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='default' />");
+    sb.append("  <rule name='user' />");
     sb.append("</queuePlacementPolicy>");
     parse(sb.toString());
   }
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-site/src/site/apt/FairScheduler.apt.vm b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-site/src/site/apt/FairScheduler.apt.vm
index 29b9fd31d0..655de70c1d 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-site/src/site/apt/FairScheduler.apt.vm
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-site/src/site/apt/FairScheduler.apt.vm
@@ -318,9 +318,9 @@ Allocation file format
   <userMaxAppsDefault>5</userMaxAppsDefault>
   
   <queuePlacementPolicy>
-    <specified />
-    <primarygroup create="false" />
-    <default />
+    <rule name="specified" />
+    <rule name="primaryGroup" create="false" />
+    <rule name="default" />
   </queuePlacementPolicy>
 </allocations>
 ---