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Stop guessing.
Are you ready to decide like an intelligence officer?
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CARVER is the CIA-developed framework for identifying what matters most under pressure — now the operating system for risk management, strategy, and executive decision-making.
Take the decision-making assessment and see where your instincts stand under pressure.
15 Questions. Instant feedback. Real insights into your think under stress.Â
Think like the CIA before you decide
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WATCH: WHAT IS CARVER? (2 MIN)
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What is CARVER?
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Since its origins in World War II, the CARVER Methodology has helped military, intelligence, government, and corporate leaders identify vulnerabilities, prioritize risk, and make better decisions. CARVER teaches you to think like an adversary—revealing your own weaknesses while exposing your competitor's.
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Learn More About CARVER Methodology
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Global Reach. Proven Methodology.
CARVER has been taught to professionals across the United States and around the world.
4500+
 INDIVIDUALS TRAINED
40
COUNTRIES
28
FORTUNE 500s
Every CARVER Certification is Jointly Awarded by CTI and the University of South Florida's Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education
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SWOT was the past
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CARVER is the future
| SWOT | CARVER |
|---|---|
| Static, one-time snapshot | Living, continuously scored |
| Qualitative, hard to rank | Six quantified factors, ranked |
| No adversary perspective | Built from an adversary's view |
| Built for planning meetings | Built for real decisions |
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Become the person in the room who sees risk before everyone else.
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Explore Certifications ⟶
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Six ways to put CARVER to work
Wherever you're starting from, there's a direct path in.
Live Training
Instructor-led courses, in person or virtual, taught by working practitioners.
Explore ⟶
Online Self-Paced Learning
The full CARVER curriculum, on your schedule, with lifetime access.
Explore ⟶
Certification
Co-issued by CTI and the Univ. of South Florida, from foundational to master practitioner.
Enterprise
Organization-wide adoption for security, risk, and leadership teams, via SMI.
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CARVER Target AnalysisÂ
and Vulnerability Assessment (TAVA) Training Course®
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Our flagship live course, the same training delivered to government agencies and Fortune 500 security teams, is taught over three intensive days.
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Dates
Sept 22–24, 2026
Location
Tampa, FL
Seats
14 Remaining
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Get CARVER Certified in Tampa at USF
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The same six factors.
A different stake for everyone.
For Government
CARVER originated as a targeting and vulnerability framework for defense and intelligence use. Today it informs infrastructure protection, continuity planning, and mission-critical resource allocation across federal and allied agencies.
For the Private Sector
Boards and executive teams use CARVER to rank risk the way intelligence officers rank targets — replacing static SWOT sessions with a living, quantified view of what actually threatens the business.
For Security Professionals
CARVER is the working vocabulary of vulnerability assessment — a repeatable, defensible methodology for scoring and prioritizing physical, cyber, and operational risk.
For Business & Strategy Leaders
Strip away the security framing and CARVER is a decision-making system: a way to rank options, resources, and threats by what actually matters, under real time pressure.
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CARVER, explained by the people who use it.
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"The CARVER Methodology is one of the most effective tools that a security professional can use to identify and evaluate weaknesses."
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— General James L. Jones, Former U.S. National Security Advisor
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The Monday CARVER Memo
One sharp idea on risk, strategy, and decision-making — read by security leaders, executives, and government professionals every week.
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Certification Courses
CARVER 3 Day LIVE
CARVER Strategy
CARVER Leaderhip
CARVER Mindset
CARVERÂ Fundamentals
The CARVER Training Institute is accredited by these fine organizations.
