Defcon 1™
Protect value.
Crisis strategy and reputation advisory
Defcon 1 helps leaders anticipate reputation risk, prevent escalation, and respond decisively when scrutiny threatens trust, operations, or growth.
Request Defcon 1 Reputation Intelligence · Powered by Cypher™- 01 / Assess
- 02 / Navigate
- 03 / Protect
The Problem
Reputation risk becomes business risk.
A reputation threat does not stay reputational for long. It moves into revenue, valuation, recruiting, leadership authority, and operations. The longer ambiguity controls the response, the faster damage compounds.
What Defcon 1 Does
Contain risk before damage compounds.
Detect
Identify exposure, escalation points, and secondary risk early.
Align
Establish decision authority, stakeholder priorities, and one defensible narrative.
Respond
Turn clarity into coordinated action before the situation widens.
The Activation
Not every situation qualifies.
Defcon 1 is reserved for high-visibility, high-consequence situations where reputation risk threatens business value. Each activation is scoped by urgency, exposure, complexity, and decision pressure.
Every activation begins with a rapid threat assessment and produces a Defcon 1 Response Brief: what matters now, who must decide, what should be said, what should be done, and what must be monitored.
Every engagement includes daily Cypher intelligence briefs, seven days a week, with key insights and recommendations focused on your crisis and reputation. Strategic counsel from Steve Brazell is included; access and response expectations are defined by the engagement.
Defcon 1 Engagements
$25,000+ USD / month
Your engagement may combine Infrared, Recon, and Defcon 1 under one agreed scope. Final pricing depends on your needs, scope, and intensity of involvement.
Month-to-month, paid at the beginning of each month. Approved expenses are additional. The one-day brand strategy session is separately contracted.
Request Defcon 1Before the Crisis
The best crisis is the one that never happens.
Defcon 1 can pressure-test exposure, decision authority, narrative, and response readiness before scrutiny arrives.
Defcon 1
Common questions.
When should we engage Defcon 1?
Defcon 1 supports established companies and public figures when crisis or reputation risk threatens trust and business value. It also helps assess exposure and response readiness before a crisis develops.
What do we receive, and how often?
Daily Cypher intelligence briefs, seven days a week, with key insights and recommendations focused on crisis and reputation. Strategic counsel from Steve Brazell is included, with access and response expectations agreed for your engagement.
What is included at $25,000 per month?
The starting monthly engagement includes daily Cypher intelligence briefs seven days a week and strategic counsel. Final pricing depends on scope, urgency, and intensity. Engagements are month-to-month, paid at the beginning of each month, plus approved expenses. The one-day brand strategy session is optional and separately contracted.
Can one engagement combine Hitman services?
Yes. An engagement may combine Infrared, Recon, and Defcon 1 under one agreed scope. The service minimums are not automatically added together. Final pricing depends on your needs, scope, and intensity of involvement.
Can Hitman execute the recommendations?
Yes. Steve Brazell leads engagements with a support team. Hitman can execute the agreed strategy or equip your team to execute it. Responsibilities, access, and response expectations are defined in the engagement.
Do you work with clients outside the United States?
Yes. Hitman serves established companies and public figures in the United States and worldwide.