Dear Decision Maker, Right now, someone on your payroll might be funding a ballistic missile. You interviewed them. You liked them. You checked the references and shipped them a laptop. They have written clean code for you ever since. They join the stand-ups. They say good morning in Slack. They are also sitting in Pyongyang, working under a stolen identity, wiring a slice of that salary home to a weapons programme. This is not a hypothetical. Roughly 3,000 to 10,000 North Korean IT workers...
20 days ago • 5 min read
Dear Decision Maker, Last week I wrote about COG (Critical Outcomes Group) and what we are building. The model. The geographies. The transition at Grey Dynamics. This week is different. This one is about us. The three of us. How John, Alastair, and I came to do this together. Why it took us 45 years combined to see it. And why ground truth still anchors everything we do. So pour yourself a coffee. Let me walk you through it. HOW IT STARTED It started last year. John and I, talking....
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Dear Decision Maker, I've been sitting on this for six months. Not because it's secret. The opposite, actually. I didn't want to announce COG (Critical Outcomes Group) until I had proof it works. Last week we closed our first deals. So here we are. Let me walk you through three things: what we're building, why it matters, and what it means for Grey Dynamics. THE PROBLEM NOBODY WANTS TO OWN Global supply chains for critical minerals are broken. Not bent. Not strained. Broken. Here's what that...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): China's decades-long strategic operation has resulted in a near-monopoly on critical rare earth processing (91-100% control), which has been weaponized through an operative licensing system that remains in force. This creates an immediate, high-risk vulnerability for global defense and cleantech supply chains, with the full potential for extraterritorial controls set to resume after the temporary pause expires in November 2026. Dear Decision Maker I think the...
2 months ago • 12 min read
Free Live Workshop WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL | 18:00 CET | 12:00 EST | 09:00 PT | ZOOM | FREE REGISTER Dear Reader Tomorrow at 18:00 CET | 12:00 EST | 09:00 PT, Ray White is going live on Zoom for The Trust Equation workshop. Here is how to get the most out of it: Have a pen and paper ready. Ray will walk through a self-assessment framework and you will want to score yourself in real time. Think of one professional relationship where trust is critical. Bring it to mind during the session. The...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Free Live Workshop WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL | 18:00 CET | 12:00 EST | 09:00 PT | ZOOM | FREE REGISTER Dear Reader Quick reminder. Wednesday's free Zoom workshop on The Trust Equation is 48 hours away. Ray White, a retired CIA Senior Operations Officer, is breaking down the formula intelligence professionals use to build trust. Here is what you will walk away with: A clear understanding of the four variables that determine whether someone trusts you. The single biggest mistake people make when trying...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Three days left till Ray White's Trust Equation live Zoom Workshop (8 April, 18:00 CET/ 12:00 PM EST / 09:00 PT) register here and if you can't make it we will send you the recording. Dear Decision Maker Five days. That is the gap between a Chinese engineer posting a detailed video tutorial on how to shoot down an F-35 stealth fighter and Iran claiming it did exactly that. I want to walk you through what is happening right now. Because it changes everything about how intelligence works. And I...
3 months ago • 7 min read
Free Live Webinar WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL | 18:00 CET | 12:00 EST | 09:00 PT | ZOOM | FREE REGISTER FOR THE FREE WEBINAR Dear Reader I get this question a lot. "Is this for intelligence professionals only?" No. The Trust Equation was not invented by an intelligence agency. It was developed by David Maister, Charles Green, and Robert Galford for their book The Trusted Advisor. It is a universal framework for understanding how trust works in any professional relationship. We teach it in our HUMINT...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Free Live Webinar WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL | 18:00 CET | 12:00 EST | 09:00 PT | ZOOM | FREE REGISTER FOR THE FREE WEBINAR Quick thought for you today. When most people think about building trust, they focus on credibility. They try to prove they know what they are doing They show credentials They demonstrate expertise That is important. But it is not the leverage point. The Trust Equation has 4 variables: Credibility: Do they believe you know what you are doing? Reliability: Do you follow through...
3 months ago • 1 min read