Kaul was born in [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]] to an immigrant family.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://himalayanexpress.in/2023/12/06/indian-american-national-security-expert-with-kashmir-roots-vies-for-u-s-congressional-seat/|title=Indian-American National Security Expert with Kashmir Roots Vies for U.S. Congressional Seat|date=December 6, 2023}}</ref> Her father is from [[Safapora]], [[Kashmir]] and mother is from [[New Delhi]].<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/krystle-kaul-indian-american-national-security-expert-running-for-us-congress-4638322|title=Indian-American National Security Expert Running For US Congress|website=[[NDTV]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailygoodmorningkashmir.com/hail-krystle-kaul/|title=Hail Krystle Kaul|first=G. M. |last=K.|date=December 6, 2023}}</ref> Her early life was influenced by discussions about the [[Kashmir conflict]].<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flipbookpdf.net/web/site/f0c279362ecabb32673fb1835cae8257ac11f6d2202312.pdf.html#page/6|title=Kashmir Today}}</ref> She spent her early life in [[Wayne, New Jersey]], where she studied at Vidyapith, learning about [[Sanskrit]] [[Vedic]] heritage, Hindi, [[mythology]], and religion. At the age of 17, she moved to [[Washington, D. C.]] for her [[college education]].<ref name="auto1"/> At the age of 19, she participated in the Washington Leadership Program, where she worked on [[Capitol Hill]] and learned about legislative and governmental processes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://americankahani.com/lead-stories/indian-american-krystle-kaul-has-a-compelling-background-for-constituents-of-virginias-10th-congressional-district/|title=Indian American Krystle Kaul has a Compelling Background for Constituents of Virginia’s 10th Congressional District|first=Bhargavi|last=Kulkarni|date=December 19, 2023}}</ref>

Kaul received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] from [[American University]], [[master's degrees]] from [[Brown University]] and [[Johns Hopkins University]].<ref name="auto1"/><ref>https://www.fdd.org/team/krystle-veda-kaul/</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ggfutures.net/alumni/2025-fellows|title=GGF 2025 Fellows}}</ref>

Kaul is [[multilingual]] and is fluent in several languages including [[Dari language|Dari]] and [[Arabic language|Arabic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/us-calling-indian-american-women-achievers-krystle-kaul-bela-bajaria-9060905/|title=US Calling: Kashmiri woman runs for US House of Representatives, ex-Miss India leading Netflix in power list|date=December 9, 2023|website=[[Indian Express]]}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/>

As the former Director of Strategic Communications at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Kaul was responsible for managing national security communication strategies.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2023/11/06/krystle-kaul-running-for-congress-to-inspire-young-indian-american-girls/,%20https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2023/11/06/krystle-kaul-running-for-congress-to-inspire-young-indian-american-girls/|title=Krystle Kaul running for Congress to inspire young Indian American girls - The American Bazaar|first=Arun|last=Kumar|date=November 6, 2023}}</ref> Additionally, she served as Chief of the Political-Military Intelligence Night Cell for the Department of Defense's ISIS Crisis Group under Secretary [[Lloyd Austin]] at US Central Command, focusing on defense strategies during a critical conflict period.<ref name="auto"/> Her work in these roles has been centered around national security and defense policy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-krystle-kaul-indian-american-national-security-expert-running-for-us-congress-666881|title=Who is Krystle Kaul? Indian-American national security expert running for US Congress|website=[[WION]]}}</ref>