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PROJECT UPDATES

What we’ve been doing, where we’ve been travelling, and what’s next.

Crisis Management and AI

I've continued my work on integrating AI into the Incident Manager application. Here's a snapshot of what I've implemented so far:

• Suggest Next Steps in a Support Case. Once a team has added at least three updates to a support case, the system can suggest possible next steps. It reviews how similar cases were handled—giving priority to cases from the same team or country—and recommends what to consider next. This helps teams manage sensitive cases more consistently while maintaining control.

• Suggest New Tasks. When an incident occurs, the system looks at how your organisation has handled similar situations in the past. It then reviews the tasks already assigned and suggests new tasks the team may want to add. This helps avoid missing key steps and ensures teams benefit from previous experience.

• Generate New Communications. Using vector search and content embeddings, this feature looks at all prior communications linked to the incident and proposes a new message. It considers the incident context, your team’s past language, and communication history to draft something relevant and consistent.

• Simulate Audience Response. Before sending out a message, this feature allows you to test how your intended audience is likely to interpret it. It highlights possible misunderstandings, missing details, or emotional triggers—helping you adjust the message and reduce the risk of confusion or backlash.

• Ingest New Information. When you receive new information—like a news report or third-party update—this feature analyses it to see whether it contains anything new or important. If it does, it proposes a log entry. It also checks for contradictions with previously logged information, helping you spot conflicts early.

Overall, these features are highly useful to teams during an incident.

July Activities

I'll be away for most of July and will be out of contact for a good part of the month. I'll share more details about what I've been up to in next month's newsletter.

Syria Initiatives

With US and EU sanctions being lifted, foreign companies will be seeking business opportunities in Syria. We have extensive experience in the country and have established a robust local support network.

You can find our updated suite of products and services here.

Crisis Simulation Exercises

We have world class capabilities in the specialised field of designing and delivering crisis simulation exercises.

If your organisation is interested in conducting a crisis simulation exercise in 2025, please reach out.

If you'd like to understand how we design and deliver crisis simulation exercises, check out The Crisis Simulation Handbook.

TRAINING

Training workshops and customised training solutions.

Missing Persons Workshop

We've developed a practical and useful missing persons workshop. This workshop provides a disciplined methodology to locate missing employees. I cover approaches for working with local vendors, police and diplomatic missions. Plus, I share insights in how to support families during such an incident. This workshop is ideal for security teams and members of security operations centres.

If your organisation would be interested in conducting a missing persons workshop for your own team, please let me know.

View our other training workshops here.

PUBLICATIONS

We’ve published a number of books on crisis management, travel security and security evacuations.

The Novel

I've completed a final edit of the novel and have cleaned things up quite a lot.

I've been making use of AI tools to help with the process. Here's some of the prompts I've found useful:

• Analyse the overall plot for logical consistency, pacing issues, and any loose threads that need addressing.
• Review the book's timeline and geography for any inconsistencies or implausible elements
• Proofread this chapter for any awkward phrasing or repetitive word choices.
• Review this section for show vs. tell balance—am I trusting readers enough with subtext?
• Evaluate if the ending feels satisfying and true to the character journey established throughout the novel.
• Review whether the book's exploration of violence and its consequences remains thoughtful rather than gratuitous.

The results of these prompts have provided some interesting feedback, and have helped to identify issues and tighten things up where needed.

Aside from editing, I've decided to go with Vellum for publishing.

Next step, cover design.

The Physical Intrusion Testing Handbook

I'm still working away at editing The Physical Intrusion Testing Handbook. I've managed to finish the first major edit of the full book, but it will need another pass before it's ready for publishing.

This book will be a fantastic reference for anyone involved with physical intrusion tests.

View all our publications and download samples here.

Buy copies for your team

Several highly regarded organisations (and one prestigious university) have purchased copies of our books for their teams. If your team would benefit from the knowledge and experience contained in our books, please reach out. We'd be happy to provide a discount for bulk orders.

STATION XV

Updates on our in-house gear, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at our design and manufacturing processes.

Check out the full range of Station XV bags and accessories here.

APPLICATIONS

Updates on our applications.

Whistler

A simple, secure whistleblowing app for organisations to receive and manage confidential reports. First launched 10 years ago, Whistler 2.0 now features stronger encryption and case management tools.

Pricing starts at $19 a month.

Learn more here.

Incident Manager

Incident Manager is an application I've built to help teams get things done during a crisis. It brings everything into one place—tasks, logs, comms, support cases—so teams can focus on what really matters. After 25 years in this field, I wanted something that actually helps in the moment, not just looks good in a demo. If you’re curious, I’m happy to show you how it works—free demo and trial available.

Now with incredibly useful AI features.

Please reach out if you'd like a demo.

Exercise Manager

A streamlined tool for planning and delivering crisis exercises while tracking team performance. Originally for internal use, now available to clients.

Please reach out if you'd like a demo.

Tenacio

A project management app for those handling diverse projects. It prioritises tasks based on deadlines and personal work preferences, ensuring you stay on track.

If you'd like to try Tenacio, get in touch.

READING LIST

Links to interesting articles worth your time.

The Texting Network for the End of the World. Everyone knows what it’s like to lose cell service. A burgeoning open source project called Meshtastic is filling the gap for when you’re in the middle of nowhere—or when disaster strikes (Wired). Read here.

You're Not Ready. (Wired). Read here.

In Southern Syria, Tensions Simmer Between Druze and Bedouin Neighbors. Armed clashes in Sweida province threaten a fragile stability, fracturing communities and stoking fears of further bloodshed (New Lines Magazine). Read here.

How Ukraine’s Operation “Spider’s Web” Redefines Asymmetric Warfare. (CSIS). Read here.

Pro-AI Subreddit Bans 'Uptick' of Users Who Suffer from AI Delusions. “AI is rizzing them up in a very unhealthy way at the moment.” (404 Media). Read here.

Chinese propaganda surges as the U.S. defunds Radio Free Asia. Beijing expanded its state propaganda, including to the persecuted Tibetan and Uyghur minorities, as RFA pulled back (The Washington Post). Read here.

How Kahanism found its way into the Israeli political mainstream. Genocidal rhetoric is not new to Israeli politics. But Gaza's destruction mirrors the apocalyptic language pouring out of the Knesset — where the establishment has gradually absorbed members of a former terrorist group (+972 Magazine). Read here.

Russia’s Battlefield Woes in Ukraine. (CSIS). Read here.

The Challenges Involved in Military Strikes Against Iran’s Nuclear Programme. While strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities are often cast in the light of avoiding escalation, underlying all considerations is the efficacy of military action to halt proliferation (RUSI). Read here.

Mapping India-Pakistan military power. (ASPI). Read here.

Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task. (MIT Media Lab). Read here.

Investigating the molecular ‘scars’ of PTSD in the human brain. Trauma leaves traces in the brain. A study of alterations in gene regulation in the brains of people with post-traumatic stress disorder offers insights into its biology (Nature). Read here.

Mali: les mercenaires de Wagner exhibent leurs crimes et leur racisme. (RFI). Read here.

That’s it for this month, folks.

Thanks for reading and stay safe out there.

Grant Rayner

Spartan9