Principal-led
Engagements are led by the founder, with counsel shaped by field command, embassy leadership, and direct accountability for life-safety decisions.
Private risk advisory
Clear judgment for consequential risk.
DISCRN advises a deliberately small number of governmental, institutional, and multinational clients when risk is political, personal, operational, and too consequential to delegate to a report.
Select commercial advisory relationships are accepted only where senior attention, confidence, and fit can be maintained. Pro bono commitments are separate and capacity-limited.
Approach
Quiet judgment. Direct access. Bounded capacity.
DISCRN is not a volume consultancy, intelligence subscription, or outsourced security desk. It is principal-led counsel for leaders who need an experienced, independent read before an exposure becomes a crisis.
Selective by design
A small client roster protects the quality of access, the confidentiality of the work, and the judgment required when stakes are high.
Built for decision
Advice is compressed to what senior leaders can use: the real exposure, the tradeoffs, the likely adversary move, and the next right action.
Credibility
A career at the edge of national security.
DISCRN was founded by retired Supervisory Special Agent and Regional Security Officer Frank Ebel after a career spent inside consequential decisions. His public-facing value is not tenure or program management; it is the trust to advise senior officials when risk is political, reputational, operational, and immediate.
Over two decades as a Diplomatic Security Special Agent, SSA Ebel operated where diplomacy, security, and crisis converged. He led security and crisis response across Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa; served in Chief of Mission roles as Acting Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission; led responses to ISIS-directed abductions and kidnapping threats, ordered departures, and high-threat diplomatic operations; and turned frontline crisis leadership into policy adopted across the Department of State. His work has been recognized with countless commendations from the Departments of State and War, foreign governments, and corporate leaders.
Experienced leadership
Served as Acting Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Senior Regional Security Officer at three high-threat posts (Mauritania, Niger, and Somalia), and Deputy Regional Security Officer in Greece.
Global partners
Worked closely with European allies, AFRICOM, Joint Special Operations Command, and host nation governments across Europe, the Middle East, Near East Asia, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and other complex diplomatic environments.
Proven performance
Recognized by the Department of State, U.S. defense partners, and external U.S. and host nation government agencies for leadership, partnership, and mission impact.
From others
What leaders say.
Official and public comments from senior leaders and operational partners who experienced the impact up close.
"His leadership proved indispensable to the success and stability of our Mission."Former U.S. Ambassador
"An inspired leader and program manager, and an absolutely critical member of my Country Team. Plus, he is the best Acting DCM I have ever had."Former U.S. Ambassador
"His was the rarest form of leadership: quiet, costly, and unbought."Former Chargé d'Affaires, a.i.
"I would like to personally extend my sincere appreciation to you for your overwhelming support to Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Your unwavering commitment to excellence reflects great credit upon yourself, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and the Department of State."Commanding Officer, NSWDG
"Frank's departure signals the end to what is arguably the most productive period in the history of Afghanistan's vetting program. This progress was due to his direct leadership and management of the program. He is a tremendous wellspring of institutional knowledge."Director of Threat Intelligence & Investigations, U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan
"Thank you for the extraordinary support you have given us and for taking us under your security umbrella. I know how much you had a hand in it. You're probably the only reason our mission remained open for as long as it did. We are eternally grateful."Current European Ambassador
Private advisory
Senior counsel, retained as needed.
The model is consultative, discreet, and sized for select leaders who need judgment without building a permanent office around it.
01 / Strategic risk
Board and Executive Counsel
Independent judgment on security, political, and operational exposure when leadership needs a clear view before committing capital, people, reputation, or mission.
Use when: the question is consequential, ambiguous, and not well served by a standard report.
02 / Crisis posture
Contingency and Decision Planning
Scenario design, executive decision paths, and practical readiness for personal-security emergencies, evacuation, travel, hostile operating environments, and mission disruption.
Use when: duty of care and operational continuity have to be tested before events move faster than governance.
03 / Red-team review
Adversarial Analysis
Plans, assumptions, and protective measures examined through the eyes of an adversary and a crisis leader who has seen failure modes up close.
Use when: the plan looks sound internally but has not been challenged by field-informed judgment.
04 / Leadership access
Sounding Board and Development
Confidential counsel for principals, security leaders, and executives who need a trusted outside view, mentorship, or a second read before a high-stakes call.
Use when: the leader is isolated by the sensitivity of the decision.
Client fit
For clients who value discretion over volume.
DISCRN works with a deliberately limited roster. The firm is most useful when the matter is sensitive, senior, and attached to a decision that requires judgment rather than another layer of noise.
Often a fit
- Governmental, diplomatic, and national security bodies
- Boards, chief executives, and senior leadership teams
- Multinationals operating in complex or unstable environments
- Humanitarian organizations, NGOs, investors, and private equity teams facing material exposure
Rarely a fit
- High-volume vendor searches or staff augmentation
- Generic compliance checklists detached from a real decision
- Public-facing theater where discretion is not valued
- Requests that do not warrant principal-level attention
Pro bono
A separate commitment to work that matters.
In addition to select commercial advisory relationships, DISCRN reserves limited annual capacity for pro bono matters where the stakes are high, resources are constrained, and experienced counsel can make a material difference.
Pro bono work receives the same discretion, rigor, and direct attention as any paid engagement. It is part of the firm's purpose, not a secondary product.
Eligibility and timing are considered case by case. Sensitive inquiries may be made through the same confidential channel.
Inquiries
Begin privately.
A short, confidential note is enough to begin. DISCRN responds when the matter appears aligned with the firm's capacity, discretion, and principal-led advisory model.