Cleared Hot Episode 411 – Bill Thompson: Special Mission Units and Human Targeting

Podcast: Cleared Hot
Host: Andy Stumpf
Guest: Bill Thompson
Episode Date: October 13, 2025

Overview

In this multi-faceted episode, Andy Stumpf welcomes Bill Thompson back to the studio for a wide-ranging conversation about military training, leadership, family, technology, and the shifting nature of modern warfare. Drawing from Bill’s background working with Special Mission Units, human targeting, and as the creator of Spartan Forge (an advanced mapping and hunting application), the discussion winds through topics that include SERE school, tech-driven operational changes, parenting struggles, cyber vulnerabilities, pandemic skepticism, and cultural critique. The tone is candid, irreverent, insightful, and self-deprecating, with both host and guest reflecting deeply on their experiences in and out of uniform.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fasting, SERE School, and Resilience (01:15–21:45)

• Autophagy and Fasting: Bill describes what happens at the cellular level during an extended fast, referencing emerging science from Japan on fasting and its potential to combat diseases like Type 2 diabetes and even some cancers (01:33–05:59).

  • “Autophagy is when you're short on food, your body will start eating itself...your body will target cells that are damaged...those cells can be like cancer cells.”
    —Bill Thompson (01:51)

• SERE School Anecdotes: The pair compare their brutal but transformative survival training experiences, including the nuances of different SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) schools, practical skills like picking handcuffs, psychological pressure from deprivation, and moments of gallows humor (06:05–16:44).
• Mental Fortitude: They reflect on enduring adversity, leadership under stress, and how not knowing the “end state” pushes people past their perceived limits.

  • “You find out you’re pretty resilient. I call it bending yourself before the world bends you.”
    —Andy Stumpf (21:01)

• Lessons Translated to Civilian Life: Bill explains how these harsh environments cultivated awareness of personal tells, moral posture under questioning, and grounded leadership.

2. Military Leadership & Humility (23:02–32:06)

• Leadership Training: Bill credits the Army’s Primary Leadership Development Course as transformative, learning accountability and empathy—opposite qualities to his earlier “hard-ass” approach.

  • “If somebody in your squad succeeds, it's their success. If someone in your squad fails, it’s your failure...that course actually prepared me for becoming an NCO.”
    —Bill Thompson (29:21)

• Learning from Mistakes: Emotional and vulnerable stories highlight the sting of public embarrassment as a teaching tool and the struggle to transmit hard-won lessons to the next generation, particularly his son.

3. Parenting & Personal Growth (32:07–38:00)

• Fatherhood Challenges: Both men lament generational disconnects, striving to impart wisdom to their children who are, variously, dutiful, introverted, stubborn, or oppositional.

  • “If I could just get my son, you know, 15, 20% of it...he’d be so dangerous and so capable in five years.”
    —Bill Thompson (32:59)

• Accepting Failures: They discuss balancing “letting kids hit the guardrails,” the differences between raising sons and daughters, and accepting unpredictability in parenting.

4. Spartan Forge, Technology, and Mapping Data (38:00–54:00)

• Innovation in Mapping: Bill details the technical aspects behind Spartan Forge’s new UAV and LIDAR updates, including data sourcing, disaster response support, and why interoperability and data standards matter for first responders (38:03–42:46).

  • “We made like $20,000 of free accounts...it was actual corporate responsibility. We’re actually helping people and not charging a dime.”
    —Bill Thompson (40:52)

• Military Tech Frustrations: The conversation touches on persistent communication challenges, crypto device nightmares (KYK-13, CYZ-10), and the high stakes of losing sensitive gear.

  • “In the era that I joined, [losing] this was probably the fastest way to end your military career...It still makes me sweat.”
    —Andy Stumpf (45:06)

5. Life After Service & Culture Shock (49:31–56:52)

• Transition to Civilian Life: Bill shares the challenge of adapting after “timing his exit right,” missing deployment mission focus but not the administrative bureaucracy that’s “returned” to the military post-GWOT.
• Critiques of Upper Command: The thinly veiled “force expansion” and political distractions among general officers (“white male rage” seminars) are held up as distractions from the military's core mission (53:35).

  • “You're getting ready for a deployment, and that's your sole focus...now it's PowerPoints, the font was wrong on this op order, and you know, command inspections every morning...”
    —Bill Thompson (51:33)

6. Modern Warfare: Drones, Cyber, and Asymmetry (66:01–75:00)

• Drones & Asymmetric Conflict: The Ukraine conflict is used to highlight the dramatic change in warfare from commercial drones, swarms, and the chilling implications for future conflicts.

  • “It’s going to even the playing field...anybody now, you can train anybody on those drones in a few minutes.”
    —Bill Thompson (70:43)

• Cyber Threats and Exploits: They deep-dive on Pegasus spyware, zero-day exploits, phone security, and the arms race between offensive and defensive cyber operations (63:40–98:14).

  • “Any sufficiently talented person with money and time could deconstruct your life [with a phone].”
    —Bill Thompson (63:47)

  • “For most people running a VPN and Signal, you’re probably secure—unless you’re meeting with Putin.”
    —Bill Thompson (95:33)

7. Societal Critique & Pandemic Reaction (76:14–83:36)

• Pandemic Skepticism: Bill admits to having overreacted early in COVID-19 due to his wife’s health, but now is deeply skeptical of the government and scientific communications.

  • “I trusted the scientific establishment...and I was loaning them a lot more credit than I should have.”
    —Bill Thompson (76:18–76:58)

  • “...they certainly earned the right to have trust be just completely liquidated.”
    —Andy Stumpf (80:34)

• Distrust of Institutions: They speculate on intentional misinformation, the profit motive in pharma, and the fragility of public trust.

8. Culture Wars, Free Speech, and Outrage (100:50–111:38)

• Tech & Social Norms: They wonder if phone use will soon become a social faux pas, similar to smoking indoors, and discuss the negative feedback loop of social media on mental health.

  • “Taking out your phone will become a social faux pas...akin to like, smoking in a restaurant.”
    —Bill Thompson (98:35)

• Free Speech & Bad Ideas: Both defend the rights of Americans to burn flags or voice distasteful opinions as central to the First Amendment.

  • “The First Amendment is not about what I get to say...it’s about what other people get to say and do...”
    —Andy Stumpf (105:32)

9. Hunting, Outdoor Life & App Evolution (111:39–129:59)

• Challenges in Hunting and Tech: Bill discusses his upcoming whitetail and hog hunts, recent elk hunts, and the dynamics of producing fair, authentic hunting media. They touch on public perception, the hunting industry’s culture, and learning from failure rather than portraying a “Jesus standard” for hunters.
• Spartan Forge Evolution: Technical plans for new features, use cases beyond hunting (including aviation), and the challenge in creating a tool as functional as possible for a variety of users (84:07–90:02).

  • “My most important role in the company is the product owner—developing...what’s the product going to be?”
    —Bill Thompson (84:54)

10. Closing Reflections: Friendship, Music, and More

• Personal Connections: Stories about mutual friends, Tool concerts, phone-free comedy shows, and misjudging people drive home the importance of humility, compassion, and living fully.
• Favourite Moments: Banter about Snickers, Black Rifle Coffee’s origin tales, and advice for Michael (“go to Australia for women, but stay out of Alice Springs”).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mental Fortitude:
  “It’s a shame when a guy goes through life and he never really pushes himself or finds out what his limits are.”
  —Bill Thompson (20:02)

• On Security:
  “Are there English words for what you just said?”
  —Andy Stumpf about rooting Android phones (92:21)

• On Outrage:
  “Most outrage is completely optional.”
  —Andy Stumpf (108:52)

• On Resilience:
  “I call it bending yourself before the world bends you.”
  —Andy Stumpf (21:01)

• On Leadership:
  “If somebody in your squad has a success, it’s their success. If someone in your squad fails, it’s your failure.”
  —Bill Thompson (29:21)

• On Friendship:
  “I’ve been making up things about him to include founding his company. That’s how it all started.”
  —Andy Stumpf, on trolling Black Rifle Coffee founder Evan Hafer (122:34)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Fasting & Autophagy: 01:33–05:59
• SERE School, Survival, & Interrogation: 06:05–16:44
• Leadership Failure & Growth Story: 26:14–30:43
• Parenting Challenges: 32:07–37:44
• Spartan Forge & UAV/LIDAR Tech: 38:03–42:46
• Crypto Devices, Gear Panic: 44:01–46:06
• Military Bureaucracy & Command Critique: 49:31–56:52
• Modern Warfare & Drones: 66:01–75:00
• Cyber Security, Pegasus, No-Click Hacks: 63:40–98:14
• Pandemic Perspective Shift: 76:14–83:36
• Hunting, Failure in the Field: 125:42–128:03
• Music, Tool/Comedy Show Stories: 119:43–122:28

Summary

Episode 411 is a masterclass in wide-ranging, insightful conversation that bridges warfighting, leadership, parental frustration, entrepreneurial hustle, digital paranoia, and cultural critique—with a healthy thread of humor and humility. Andy and Bill navigate tactical realities and philosophical quandaries with the frankness of warriors reflecting on a rapidly morphing world. The episode offers both practical wisdom and rich anecdote while remaining approachable, engaging, and true to the Cleared Hot brand.

Spartan Forge Note:
Bill continues to offer personal customer support and is passionate about evolving Spartan Forge to serve both hunters and broader mapping needs. Interested listeners are encouraged to try the app and offer honest feedback.

For the Uninitiated:
Don’t be daunted by the military and tech jargon; the stories and reflections transcend those worlds and are relevant for anyone reflecting on resilience, legacy, and what it means to live a life worth clearing “hot.”