Ep 082 “The CG Mailbag: Question Time”

In this special 'mailbag' episode of Chasing Ghosts, retired Army officer and irregular warfare scholar Bill Bupert returns after a two-month hiatus to address listener questions and share personal updates. He reflects on his recent move to the Florida panhandle, the chaos of unpacking, and the joy of finally acquiring a 46-volume leather-bound collection of Robert Heinlein’s works. Bupert uses the episode to deliver a sharp critique of U.S. military modernization, arguing that the Air Force must abandon manned combat aircraft and bombers in favor of massive fleets of low-cost, mass-produced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), citing the success of Iran, Russia, and Ukraine in deploying affordable drones. He warns that continued investment in expensive platforms like the F-35 and silo-based missiles is wasteful and strategically dangerous. He also provocatively argues that fraud—especially election and financial fraud—should be treated as a form of irregular warfare, drawing parallels to historical deception campaigns and modern-day state-sponsored manipulation. Finally, he dismisses the idea of a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget increase without systemic reform, calling the current military acquisition system sclerotic and Soviet-like. Bupert concludes with a sobering vision of future warfare: asymmetric, decentralized, and capable of striking deep into the continental United States through drones, AI, and cyber-enabled attacks. Key takeaways include: (1) The future of warfare lies in affordable, mass-produced UAVs, not expensive manned platforms; (2) Fraud should be recognized as a strategic tool of irregular warfare; (3) The U.S. military’s acquisition system is broken and requires radical reform; (4) Future conflicts will not be confined to battlefields but will target civilian infrastructure and soft targets at home; (5) The U.S. must stop relying on outdated doctrines and embrace a new, agile, AI-driven military paradigm. Bupert’s tone is urgent, critical, and deeply skeptical of institutional inertia, yet infused with personal warmth and intellectual passion.