PROJECT UPDATES

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

Myanmar

I was able to spend some time in Yangon in Myanmar this month.

A few casual observations:

1. Yangon is safe at the moment. You wouldn't know there was a civil war going on if you stayed within the main city area. I didn't observe any military or police checkpoints or patrols. Aside from the curfew (which wouldn't impact most travellers) and some additional barriers around public buildings, there are no obvious signs of conflict.
2. There are very few Western travellers about. I spent a lot of time wandering around and I only noticed a couple of Europeans. According to the hotel manager, most of the current travellers are from China and Cambodia.
3. People are friendly. I didn't notice any hostility towards foreigners (not that I expected any either). People may approach you to chat with you in English. Kids will follow you asking for cash.
4. You'll need a VPN to access your applications. My normal VPNs (iVPN and ProtonVPN) didn't work, so I asked some local folks what they use and that worked. Even with a VPN, I couldn't access ChatGPT and a few other applications.
5. The exchange rate is favourable. The unofficial exchange rate is 1 USD to 5,000 MKK (or 4,900 MKK, if you have a small fold in your 100 dollar bill like I did). Larger notes get a better rate. It's best to pay everything in cash, including hotels. The larger hotels can accept USD payment by credit card, but you'll be paying at the official exchange rate, which isn't great (the official buy rate is 3,372).
6. Data is inexpensive. I purchased a MyTel SIM card at the airport. MKK 35,000 (USD 7) for 35 GB of data. You'll need to sort out your SIM card before you get a Grab from the airport to your hotel.
7. Grab is the easiest way to get around and helps avoid any language barriers. They have a counter in the airport arrivals area, and the folks there will help you book a vehicle (they even provided a discount code as part of a current promotion). It seems that Grab only links you to local taxis (not private cars). The taxis aren't in great condition, but they'll get you from A to B for a few dollars. Select the cash option rather than the credit card option to get the most favourable rate and be sure to tip the driver. As a guide, the trip from downtown to the airport was MKK 22,000 (including tips), which is ~ USD 4.40.
8. Many of the foreigner-friendly cafes you'll see online are closed. Some won't turn the aircon on to save power. Others are only able to offer a limited menu.
9. Folks are doing it tough. It's pretty clear that the economic situation is exerting a toll on everyone. There are beggars along most of the main streets in the downtown area.

Overall, an interesting trip and I'm looking forward to going back.

Travel Risk Management

This month, I completed a project to conduct a comprehensive review of the travel risk management framework for a major university. I've refined my consulting approach along the way to enable a more comprehensive view of an organisation's travel risk management competencies. We now evaluate performance across 25 different dimensions, and are able to provide clear guidance to organisations regarding how they can improve their approach to travel risk management.

Crisis Similation Exercises

We have one remaining slot for crisis simulation exercises for the year in the month of December. If your organisation is interested in conducting a crisis simulation exercise in December 2024 or Q1 2025, please let us know.

TRAINING

Training workshops and customised training solutions.

Crisis Management Fundamentals

I've been conducting crisis simulation exercises for more than 20 years now. During each exercise, I see crisis teams making the same basic mistakes.

Crisis team performance is built on a series of micro-processes that contribute to the team's overall effectiveness. If the team is unable to complete these micro-processes, or if they simply don't do them at all, the team's performance will suffer. Some teams will actually become dysfunctional, and their actions can have an adverse impact on the overall situation.

I've put together a workshop to train crisis and incident management teams in these micro-processes and other practices that will contribute to effective performance during a crisis.

Learn more about the workshop here.

If you'd like to have a chat about how this workshop might benefit your crisis and incident management teams, please get in touch and we can set up a time to talk.

APPLICATIONS

Updates on our applications.

Whistler

Whistler is a simple and secure whistleblowing application that enables organisations to receive and manage confidential reports from whistleblowers. We launched Whistler site.time | date: '%Y' | minus:2015 years ago. We've recently updated the application to version 2.0, increasing the level of encryption and adding case management tools, amongst a host of other improvements.

Pricing for organisations starts at $19 a month.

If you're looking for a simple and secure whistleblowing solution for your organisation, you can learn more here.

Incident Manager

Incident Manager is the first application that's focused on team performance during an incident. Major incidents are already inherently challenging. There's no point in adding an additional layer of complexity by forcing teams to use software that increases cognitive load and only serves to make the situation more difficult to manage. Incident Manager doesn't get in the way of teams. Instead, it makes them more effective at managing complex incidents.

Please reach out if you'd like a demo.

Exercise Manager

Exercise Manager is a unique application that makes it easy to plan and deliver crisis exercises and monitor team performance across your organisation. After using this application for our own exercises, we're going to be making Exercise Manager available to our clients as well.

Please reach out if you'd like a demo.

Tenacio

Tenacio is a project management application designed for people like me who are juggling a diverse range of projects. Tenacio cuts through the myriad of projects and tasks and tells you what you need to work on next. It does this based on the deadlines you set and your preferences for when you like to work on different activities.

I've been using Tenacio to manage my own projects for the last 3 months and it's already bringing some much-needed order to the chaos. This month, I've continued to make small improvements here and there to make it more useful. If you'd like to try Tenacio, get in touch.

STATION XV

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

I'm delighted to (finally) announce the availability of the Travel Duffel. The Travel Duffel is now available for order on the website. We're in the process of doing the product photos and will have these up on the website as soon as possible.

I've also received the updated shoulder straps for the Street Satchel. These straps are made from UHMWPE webbing using a mil-spec 17337 weave. This weave provides more structure than the herringbone straps, which were very soft. Anyone who purchases a Street Satchel going forward will receive two straps. You can try both and use the one you like. The spare strap can be used to sling the Street Tote or Street Pack when in satchel mode.

In the last week, I've had the pleasure of several customers contacting me again to buy bags for family and friends. This is the best validation of my work I've received so far. Thank you.

Last month, we updated the Station XV website with new and significantly more professional photos. Check out the updates here.

Please help to spread the word about Station XV.

PUBLICATIONS

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

Under the Radar

I've written several books on travel security. Under the Radar is a little different.

Rather than focusing on prevention, this book assumes the worst has happened. You have been discovered, confronted, and detained. You may be questioned, interrogated, or even tortured. At some point, you may find that you have an opportunity to escape. If you can escape, you'll need to evade your pursuers and get yourself to safety. Getting yourself to safety in this context will typically mean sneaking across a border.

Under the Radar presents these challenging scenarios and walks you through the process of considering and evaluating your options. It then walks you through your response, detailing what you need to focus on at each stage while also considering the many ethical dilemmas you're likely to face along the way.

You can learn more about Under the Radar and download a free sample here.

Bulk Orders

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 can provide discounts for bulk orders.

READING LIST

Links to interesting articles worth your time.

The Biggest Question About the Hezbollah Pager Attack Is Why Now. A technically adroit strike could be a curtain-raiser for an expanded conflict. (Foreign Policy). Read here.

Could Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah open the way to a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities? Tel Aviv may believe now is the time to neutralize all immediate threats to its border, as a preliminary to long-sought strikes on Tehran’s nuclear programme. (Chatham House). Read here.

New Battles Old War. In the wake of Myanmar’s military coup, many young Burmese retreated to the jungles and mountains, joining existing armed groups. Photographer Tha Yet reveals how these remote regions have become training grounds for a new generation of guerillas. (Parallax). Read here.

“Putin's regime could fall if he loses the support of just a few hundred people." The author of the book "How Tyrants Fall" on the specifics of dictatorships and how they collapse. (The Bell). Read here.

Russia’s Most Notorious Special Forces Unit Now Has Its Own Cyber Warfare Team. Unit 29155 of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency—a team responsible for coup attempts, assassinations, and bombings—has branched out into brazen hacking operations with targets across the world. (Wired). Read here.

The End of Democracy Has Already Begun (Podcast). In the first episode of our new podcast, a look at how lies prime a society for a fall. (The Atlantic). Read here.

State Secrets: Hiring Criminals for Targeted Killings (and more). The intersection of state and criminal threats. (Jessica Davis). Read here.

AI Detects PTSD From Social Media Posts. This study highlights the potential of social media as an early screening tool for mental health conditions like PTSD. The findings underscore the need for prompt intervention for those affected by the mental health impacts of COVID-19. (Neuroscience News). Read here.

Dozens of Fortune 100 companies have unwittingly hired North Korean IT workers, according to report. It’s difficult to imagine a bigger hiring blunder. (The Record). Read here.

New tool lets you track exactly when the Chinese government blocks websites. Data reveals the precise timing of when the Chinese government blocked ChatGPT and other AI platforms. (Rest of World). Read here.

Exclusive: Inside Beijing’s app collecting information from Belt and Road companies. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates a secure digital platform that connects it directly with Chinese companies operating abroad, requiring participating companies to submit regular reports about their activities and local security conditions to the government. (ASPI). Read here.

India shuts down the internet far more than any other country. The country had 771 blackouts between 2016 and 2023, and there have been 51 so far this year. We mapped the affected areas.. (Rest of World). Read here.

That’s it for this month, folks.

Thanks for reading and stay safe out there.

Grant Rayner

Spartan9