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Bosses looking for an edge in the post-COVID remote work era have turned to a militaristic approach to team building — with some paying upwards of $100,000 for “Top Gun”-style simulations to rally their troops, according to a report.

The C-suite executives — from companies as varied as Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America — who “feel the need for speed” can adopt their own Maverick or Ice Man call sign and engage in missions “to rescue your teammate and bring them home, The New York Times reported.

If you lose sight of the airplane youre fighting against, you lose the fight, said Christian Boucousis, the CEO of Atlanta-based Afterburner. We use that as a metaphor if you lose sight of your business objectives, youre not going to achieve them.

Boucousis’ firm employs a team of former pilots, Navy SEALs and military commandos to train corporate executives to “execute with the same precision and accuracy as elite military aviators and special operations teams,” according to the company website.

Its Top Gun Experience training starts at $10,000 for a small team and can climb to $100,000 for a larger one, according to The Times.

“Bring out your team’s inner jet fighter pilot,” one of the company’s promotional videos states.

Afterburner offers companies “experiential team building” exercises that include “fighter pilot simulation” designed to “help your team strengthen relationships, build trust, and improve communication.”

Team members “adopt a real-life, fighter pilot call sign” while taking on roles such as “squadron commander” who are thrust into challenging scenarios that sharpen their decision-making acumen.

Afterburner is part of a trend of experiential trainings that lean on military precision as companies adapt to the work-from-home phenomenon sparked by the pandemic, experts say.

Another management training company based in the Financial District, The Squadron, uses advanced F-35 flight simulators — usually reserved for to train Israeli air force pilots — to teach corporate executives about business and life lessons.

The trainees have come from companies that include Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Google, as The Post previously reported.

Leaders are trying to regain a sense of control they feel theyve lost over the last few years, Cali Williams Yost, a workplace strategist, told The Times. Theyre searching to reassert control and power in a way that feels familiar.

The lessons aren’t limited to metaphors dealing with flying at Mach-1 speed.

Over the Wall, a company founded by former NASCAR pit crew coach Andy Papathanassiou, charges at least $10,000 to train corporate teams to replace tires on a race car as if they were manning an actual pit stop at a NASCAR event.

Papathanassiou said the aim is to inculcate an “over the wall mentality” that aims to develop “the cognitive building blocks of what athletes are.”

Testimonials posted on the company website by CEOs who have had their teams participate in the drills report that it helped improve “communication, collaboration, teamwork, and strategic thinking.”

Kris Kovacs, the CEO of fintech firm Constellation Digital Partners, told the Times that his 30 employees were made to simulate a NASCAR pit stop in the company parking lot.

It sounds silly for me to say, but the hardest part is actually getting the tire on, Kovacs told the Times.

What that teaches you is youve got to preplan. Hard things, if you practice at them and preplan, become easier and easier.

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Police appeal to trace further 18 people linked to disorder at Unite the Kingdom march

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Police appeal to trace further 18 people linked to disorder at Unite the Kingdom march

Police have appealed for help to identify an additional 18 people suspected of public order offences and assaults on emergency workers on the day of the Unite the Kingdom march.

Between 110,000 and 150,000 people attended the rally in central London on 13 September, the Metropolitan Police estimates.

Protesters heard a number of speeches, including from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who organised the rally and called it the “biggest freedom of speech” event in British history.

Pics: Met Police
Image:
Pics: Met Police

An anti-racism counter-protest, attended by about 5,000 campaigners, also took place, with the two groups clashing on Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, separated by lines of police.

Police previously said 24 people were arrested at the protests, 23 of whom are believed to have been involved in the Unite the Kingdom rally, while one was believed to be involved in the counter-protest.

The force launched an appeal to identify 11 people last week, one of whom was identified.

Officers now want to speak to a further 18 people “in connection with a range of public order offences and assaults on emergency workers” and have released 16 new images.

Pics: Met Police
Image:
Pics: Met Police

The Met previously said 26 officers were assaulted with kicks and punches, adding: “Bottles, flares and other projectiles were also thrown and concerted attempts were made to get past barriers.”

“Our post-event investigation continues and officers have looked through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to review evidence to help with further inquiries,” said Detective Chief Inspector Natalie Norris.

“We have 28 people we want to speak to in connection with a range of offences – and we are again appealing for the public’s help to track them down.”

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People may have travelled from outside London, so she said she was asking people “across the country” to look at a number of pictures that have been released and to get in touch if they recognise anyone.

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Donald Trump has revealed that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan could be part of a deal in which TikTok in the United States will come under American control.

The US president also namedropped Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, as a possible participant in the deal during an interview with Fox News, which is owned by the Murdochs.

“I think they’re going to be in the group. A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people,” Mr Trump said. “And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

Mr Trump said that Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of software firm Oracle, was part of the same group. His involvement in the potential TikTok deal had previously been revealed.

President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein
Image:
President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday that Oracle would be responsible for the app’s data and security, with Americans set to control six of the seven seats for a planned TikTok board.

This comes after Mr Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping held a “very productive call” on Friday, discussing the final approval for the TikTok deal, much of which is still unknown.

Once confirmed, the deal should stop TikTok from being banned in the US after lawmakers decided it posed a security risk to citizens’ data.

More on Tiktok

Officials warned that the algorithm TikTok uses is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to push specific content on the social media platform in a way that is difficult to detect.

Congress had ordered the app shut down for American users by January 2025 if its Chinese owner ByteDance didn’t sell its assets in the country – but the ban has been delayed four times by President Trump.

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Pentagon orders journalists to agree to reporting rules

Mr Trump said on Sunday that he might be “a little prejudiced” about TikTok, after telling reporters on Friday: “I wasn’t a fan of TikTok and then I got to use it and then I became a fan and it helped me win an election in a landslide.”

After the call with Mr Xi, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post: “We made progress on many very important issues, including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal.”

Mr Trump later told reporters at the White House that Xi had approved the deal, but said it still needed to be signed.

Representatives for the Murdochs, Mr Dell and Mr Ellison have not yet commented on a potential TikTok deal.

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Gatwick’s second runway has been given the go-ahead by the government.

The northern runway already exists parallel to Gatwick‘s main one, but cannot be used at the same time, as it is too close.

It is currently limited to being a taxiway and is only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut.

The £2.2bn expansion project will see it move 12 metres north so both can operate simultaneously, facilitating 100,000 extra flights a year, 14,000 jobs, and £1bn a year for the economy.

It would also mean the airport could process 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

Gatwick is already the second busiest airport in the UK, and the busiest single runway airport in Europe.

No public money is being used for the expansion plan, which airport bosses say could see the new runway operational by 2029.

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The expansion was initially rejected by the Planning Inspectorate over concerns about its provisions for noise prevention and public transport connections.

Campaigners also argued the additional air traffic will be catastrophic for the environment and the local community.

A revised plan was published by the planning authority earlier this year, which it said could be approved by the government if all conditions were met.

The government says it is now satisfied this is the case, with additions made including Gatwick being able to set its own target for passengers who travel to the airport by public transport – instead of a statutory one.

Nearby residents affected by noise will also be able to charge the airport for the cost of triple-glazed windows.

And people who live directly under the flight path who choose to sell their homes could have their stamp duty and estate agent fees paid for up to 1% of the purchase price.

CAGNE, an aviation and environmental group in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, says it still has concerns about noise, housing provision, and wastewaster treatment.

The group says it will lodge a judicial review, which will be funded by local residents and environmental organisations.

‘Disaster for the climate crisis’

Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticised the second runway decision, posting on X: “Aviation expansion is a disaster for the climate crisis.

“Anyone who’s been paying any attention to this shambles of a Labour Govenrment (sic) knows they don’t care about people in poverty, don’t care about nature nor for the planet. Just big business & their own interests.”

Friends of the Earth claimed the economic case for the airport expansion has been “massively overstated”.

Head of campaigns Rosie Downes warned: “If we’re to meet our legally-binding climate targets, today’s decision also makes it much harder for the government to approve expansion at Heathrow.”

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden welcomed the decision but said it “should have been made months ago”, claiming Labour have “dithered and delayed at every turn”.

“Now that Gatwick’s second runway has been approved, it’s crucial Labour ensures this infrastructure helps drive the economic growth our country needs,” he said.

A government source told Sky News the second runway is a “no-brainer for growth”.

“The transport secretary has cleared Gatwick expansion for take-off,” they said. “It is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.

“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”

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