Sixty national security officials headed for top positions arrived at the Kennedy School of Government Sunday for an eight week program designed to give them broader perspective on their jobs and prepare them for policy-making positions.

The participants are "people who in the past have been focusing on a narrow technical specialty and who are now starting to move into realms which demand a wider spectrum of skills and abilities," said Mark E. Cancian '73, assistant director of national security programs at the Kennedy School.

"Most of us have careers ahead of us, presumably doing bigger and better things," said participant John T. Hardi, deputy South American division chief for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Most of the participants in the conference, which was held for the first time last year, are from the Department of Defense, in positions ranging from a submarine squadron trainer to the chief of atmospheric prediction in the Air Force. All of the officials are either military colonels or hold equivalent civilian rank.

"These are people that we believe are headed for top roles in their departments where they will be active in the policy arena," said Peter B. Zimmerman '68, assistant dean of the Kennedy School, who is teaching a course on policy-making.

In addition, the program will allow the national officials to "step back and relate [their jobs] to the overall interests of the country and how they must look from the President's desk." Zimmerman said, and helping them "understand where they fit in the overall scheme of things."

Lecture topics include techniques of negotiation, analysis of specific areas of the world and discussion of economic forces in determining policy. Many top Harvard faculty members will each in the program including Kennedy School Dean Graham T. Allison '62 and Professor of Government Joseph S. Nye.

"It's a good chance for us to pick the brains of people in national security we don't generally see on a daily basis," said Col. John R. Allen, senior military advisor to the Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. "You find that out that education is ever complete."

"When you're in your job you don't have the time to draw back and look at the broader perspective of what you're doing," said Col. John D. Alexander, branch head of the Marine Corps' Reserve Division.

Allen said that meeting the other participants has been helpful in giving the officials a chance to better understand the viewpoints of the other national security actors.