Questions

Frequently asked questions.

What Crisis Lab is

What is Crisis Lab?

Crisis Lab is an intelligence company for the people who help manage complex crisis. That means emergency managers, security professionals, government and NATO advisors, and critical-infrastructure operators. We identify the structural vulnerabilities beneath the headlines and assess what they mean, so you can make your next move while there is still time. Crisis Lab is built on Capacity Building International.

Who is behind Crisis Lab?

Capacity Building International, the firm Crisis Lab is built on, was founded by Kyle King, who has 30 years of experience in crisis management advising NATO, the EU, the OSCE, and the UN. An advisory board of 10 serving and former practitioners in crisis management, emergency management, disaster risk reduction, health security, and logistics shapes the work. They work across the United States and Europe.

What is Crisis Lab Intelligence?

Crisis Lab Intelligence is a briefing published twice a month. Each edition works one structural failure out in full, in written and audio form, and recent editions have run 3,500 to 4,900 words. Every judgment carries a confidence level, and facts, figures, and citations are verified against their actual sources before publication.

What comes with the free tier?

The free tier delivers the bottom line up front from each briefing, the podcast, and course and career notices. No card required. The full analysis, the toolkit, the audio edition, the community, and the office hours sit behind the paid tiers.

Does Crisis Lab have a podcast?

Yes. The Crisis Lab Podcast covers crisis, behavior, and system failure, and it is free. Find it at news.crisislab.io/podcasts.

Plans and pricing

How much does Crisis Lab cost?

Intelligence is $149 a month. Intelligence+ is $649 a month. Annual plans are 12 months for the price of 10 (two months free), at $1,490 a year for Intelligence and $6,490 a year for Intelligence+. The free briefing costs nothing and requires no card.

What does the Intelligence plan include?

Intelligence includes the twice-monthly brief in written and audio form, along with the toolkit to run against your own plans. Subscribers also get the community, office hours, and executive briefings from NATO, UN, and EU experts, plus access to the IACET-accredited course catalog. The one exception is the NATO CMDR certification course, which comes with Intelligence+ or as an $850 standalone purchase.

What does Intelligence+ include?

Intelligence+ includes everything in Intelligence and adds the Debrief for every edition and the NATO CMDR certification course, which unlocks after your first 30 days. The community, which comes with either tier, is where you learn from your peers, international experts with multi-domain expertise.

What is the Debrief?

The Debrief is a one-hour walkthrough of each edition, exclusive to Intelligence+. It takes you through the findings, the rationale behind the assessment, and what it means going forward.

What is the NATO CMDR course?

The NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response Course is delivered with the NATO CMDR Centre of Excellence in Sofia, Bulgaria, and is the only civilian access to official NATO CMDR certification. It carries 2.2 CEUs. Standalone, the course costs $850; with Intelligence+, access unlocks after your first 30 days.

How Crisis Lab compares

How is Crisis Lab different from the news?

News reports the event. Crisis Lab identifies the structural vulnerability underneath it and assesses what it means for the people who have to act. Each edition works one failure out in full, and every judgment carries a confidence level.

How is Crisis Lab different from a think tank or consultancy report?

The people writing the analysis have done the work they write about. Crisis Lab is built on 30 years of field work alongside NATO, the EU, the UN, and national agencies, and its advisory board is made up of practitioners, not commentators.

Is the content written by AI?

Crisis Lab content is produced with AI assistance under human editorial review. Every published judgment is reviewed, verified, and approved by a human author who is accountable for it. AI does not decide what we conclude and is never the last reviewer before publication.

Is this advice for my situation?

No. Crisis Lab publishes analysis and education. It is not operational, emergency-management, security, safety, engineering, medical, financial, or legal advice, and it is not tailored to any specific organization, site, incident, or set of facts. For organizations, Powered by Crisis Lab provides annual analytical support, scoped on a discovery call.

Are the courses accredited?

Yes. Crisis Lab is an IACET Accredited Provider, and the catalog runs 17 courses. The NATO CMDR course carries official NATO certification and 2.2 continuing education units.

How does Intelligence+ compare with executive education programs?

For $6,490 a year, Intelligence+ delivers 12 months of crisis intelligence, the NATO CMDR certification course, and a member community, with zero days out of the office. Most of the executive programs below cost more than that for a single campus stay. The table shows the published tuition for each.

Program Tuition Days out of office Credential
Harvard Business School, Leadership for Senior Executives $18,500 6 Certificate of Management Excellence
Wharton, The Resilient Leader $10,750 (lodging included) 4 None stated
Harvard Kennedy School, Leadership in Crises $10,900 5 None stated on page
IMD, High Performance Leadership $18,607 (CHF 14,900) 8 No certificate; alumni community access
LSE, Achieving Leadership Excellence $12,075 (£8,850) 7 Certificate of completion
INSEAD, Crisis Management for Boards (next listed session 2027) $11,450 (€9,800) 5 Programme certificate
Cambridge Judge, Advanced Leadership Programme $38,885 (£28,500 excluding VAT, 19 nights included) 22 Attendance certificate
MIT Professional Education, Crisis Management & Business Resiliency $4,200 5 MIT PE Certificate of Completion, 3.8 CEUs
Cranfield, Risk, Crisis and Resilience $3,070 to $3,411 (£2,250 to £2,500) 7 Accredited option at the higher fee
Crisis Lab Intelligence+ $6,490 a year 0 NATO CMDR certification course included

Tuition figures come from each provider’s own program page, accessed 25 August 2026; the sterling, euro, and Swiss franc fees are converted at Federal Reserve H.10 exchange rates for the week ending 21 August 2026. Days out of office include one travel day each way for programs outside the United States. Flights, and hotels where lodging is not included, sit on top of the tuition shown.

Only MIT and Cranfield charge less than a year of Intelligence+, and each still takes a week out of the office. Every other program costs more in tuition alone than the full year, before a flight is booked. Intelligence+ is $6,490, includes the certification course, and nobody leaves their desk.

Practical questions

Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes. If you decide within your first 30 days that Crisis Lab Intelligence isn’t right for you, contact us for a full refund, no questions asked. The guarantee covers Intelligence and Intelligence+ subscriptions. Standalone course purchases are not covered.

How do I cancel?

Cancel anytime through your account on Beehiiv, the platform where subscriptions are sold, and keep access through the end of the period you have paid for. Note that unsubscribing from the emails also cancels a paid subscription; on the platform, email delivery and paid access are inseparable.

When does the NATO CMDR course unlock?

The NATO CMDR course unlocks after your first 30 days on Intelligence+. The rule is the same on monthly and annual plans.

How does the community work?

The Crisis Lab community lives on Circle at community.crisislab.io and is included with any active Intelligence or Intelligence+ subscription. It is not sold separately, and access ends when the subscription ends.

Can I buy a course without subscribing?

Yes. Courses are individual, one-time purchases through Circle checkout. A course purchase is not a subscription. It does not renew, and it does not include community access. Most courses are $49; the International Career Course is $497 and the NATO CMDR course is $850.

How do I contact Crisis Lab?

Write to [email protected]. That address covers general questions, refunds, sponsorships, and organizational inquiries.