From their first day in office, Administration officials will need to be prepared to tackle extraordinary foreign policy challenges. Though most senior incoming political appointees will have had prior governing experience, many of those who will hold the jobs that help make the machinery of government work will never have served in the executive branch before.

In order to be effective, these special assistants, deputy assistant secretaries, speechwriters, and others need to know how our government works – from understanding the way foreign policy agencies such as the Defense Department and USAID function, to important skills such as managing the interagency process, working effectively with civil servants and foreign service officers and writing speeches, memos and talking points.

To fill this need, the Truman National Security Project Educational Institute is launching an Executive Agency Training Program for leaders in their thirties and late twenties who hold or have the potential to hold key government positions and have never served in the executive branch. The purpose is to teach participants how the national security system works, nuts and bolts knowledge of the executive branch and practical skills required to be effective in the types of positions they will be filling. In addition to substantive training, a key objective of the program is to build an interagency network to help staff better understand the role of other agencies and to provide the contacts needed to make government work more effectively.