Go directly to: projects | training | publications | bags | applications | reading list.

PROJECT UPDATES

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

Crisis Management and AI

Last month, I wrote a paper on how generative AI can enhance different aspects of crisis management and response. This month, I’ve started putting those ideas into practice by integrating AI into Incident Manager.

The first implementations focus on user-activated triggers—where a team member actively chooses to analyse something and presses a button to do so. Even at this early stage, it’s clear how valuable these features will be for crisis teams. After more than 25 years in the field, I’m genuinely surprised by how useful some of these AI-driven tools already are.

The next phase, which began yesterday, involved setting up a vector database to store and search embeddings efficiently. This will significantly boost the effectiveness of AI-powered recommendations and analysis, especially as usage grows and more historical data becomes available. From there, I’ll be introducing background jobs that support more automated analysis, intelligent prompting, and contextual suggestions across incidents, communications, and tasks.

One of the challenges now is making sure teams don’t “dumb down” as they start to rely on these features. To address that, I’m adding safeguards—like only unlocking AI task recommendations after a team has entered at least five tasks. This ensures the system supports good practice rather than replacing it.

AI features are also being implemented at the organisation level. Each customer connects their own API key, which keeps AI activity tied to their account and maintains data privacy. This setup also gives organisations flexibility to choose whichever provider or model suits them best—whether that’s based on performance, cost, or privacy needs.

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. Our updated suite of products and services can be found here.

Crisis Simulation Exercises

Earlier this month we delivered a crisis simulation in Hong Kong, which focused on a complex technical scenario. Technical exercises are never easy, as it's more difficult to ensure broad engagement. Overall, the exercise went well, and I'm delighted with the result.

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.

Strategic Futures Programme

Our Strategic Futures programme leverages more than two decades of experience in crisis management, and is designed to focus executive teams on strategic issues that may affect their organisations in the medium-term.

We offer three unique sessions:

1. Climate Crisis
2. Shifting Powers
3. AI to AGI

These sessions are applicable for all types of organisations, including companies and NGOs. You can learn more here.

If you'd like to have a chat about how our Strategic Futures programme might fit into your organisation's overall approach to risk forecasting and crisis preparation, please get in touch and we can set up a time to talk.

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 received feedback on the novel, and I'm in the process of doing a last (hopefully last) final edit. At the same time, I'm exploring different applications that allow me to format for print and electronic versions. I'm looking at Vellum and Atticus. If you've used these and have a preference, I'd love to hear from you.

The Physical Intrusion Testing Handbook

I'm still working my way through the first round of editing The Physical Intrusion Testing Handbook. One chapter to go. Life happens when you work on these things, so it's been hard to find time to focus to the degree necessary for editing. This book will be a fantastic reference for anyone involved with physical intrusion tests.

The Travel Risk Management Handbook

No work done on this one this month. I think I'll focus on the other books first, then get back to this one.

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.

We Investigated China’s Foreign Intimidation Operations. It Led Us to the Leader of a Hungary-based Organization. An international team of investigative journalists has looked into how China silences its critics living abroad. Direkt36 traced the head of an organization based in Hungary, who has also been in contact with high-ranking Hungarian government politicians. (Direkt36). Read here.

Elon Musk’s Most Alarming Power Grab. Can anyone stop his space-based internet? (The Atlantic). Read here.

Putin’s New Hermit Kingdom. At War With the West and Its Own Elites, the Russian Regime Inches Toward a Fully Closed Dictatorship (Foreign Affairs). Read here.

India–Pakistan ceasefire remains shaky, with relations unlikely to return to status quo. The risk of renewed hostilities will remain in the absence of meaningful political dialogue (Chatham House). Read here.

How a Spyware App Compromised Assad’s Army. An investigation reveals how a cyberattack exploited soldiers' vulnerabilities and may have changed the course of the Syrian conflict (New lines Magazine). Read here.

Chinese ‘kill switches’ found hidden in US solar farm. Hidden cellular radios could be activated remotely to cripple power grids in the event of a confrontation between China and the West (The Times). Read here.

The Day Grok Told Everyone About ‘White Genocide’. What in the world just happened with Elon Musk’s chatbot? (The Atlantic). Read here.

Sleep is essential — researchers are trying to work out why. A typical person spends more than 20 years in a state of dreamy semi-consciousness. But surprisingly little is known about why we need this down time. (Nature). Read here.

China and Russia are deploying powerful new weapons: ideas. The West is retreating from the battle of the narrative (The Economist). Read here.

The Backstory Behind the Fall of Aleppo. New Lines reports exclusively on the details leading up to the city's stunning capture (New lines Magazine). Read here.

Laundering Money and Weapons for Cartels and Terror Groups. An indictment unsealed in Eastern District of Virginia says three men ran a multi-million dollar money launder operation for terror groups and drug cartels, using weapons from the Assad regime (Court Watch). Read here.

The CIA Secretly Ran a Star Wars Fan Site. The site, starwarsweb.net, was a covert CIA communications tool. It has pictures of Yoda and C-3PO on it. (404 Media). Read here.

Understanding Somalia’s Destruction. How democracy and the postindependence ‘romance of the state’ gave way to disillusionment and a ruinous civil war (New lines Magazine). Read here.

The Role of Social Media in Cartel Recruitment. (CSIS). Read here.

Georgian Dream is watching: how AI-powered surveillance is used against Tbilisi protesters. When police forces left the streets, the number of cameras increased, keeping watch on the daily protests. (OC Media). Read here.

Sri Lanka’s War Widows Are Clearing Its Land of Mines. The ongoing demining work has provided a lifeline to many and proved a great success, but the country bears other wounds that may be harder to heal (New lines Magazine). Read here.

Treasure Hunters in a New Syria. With 90% of the population going hungry, Syrians are turning to looting heritage sites just to survive (New lines Magazine). Read here.

That’s it for this month, folks.

Thanks for reading and stay safe out there.

Grant Rayner

Spartan9