William Buppert, M.A.

William Buppert, M.A. is the Founder and President of the Ernest Shackleton school of leadership, coaching, and mentoring as part of Gravitas Group. He is the Senior Principal Systems Engineer at Raytheon. Bill is the author of the book ZeroGov: Limited Government, Unicorns and Other Mythological Creatures.

Bill earned his Master of Arts Degree in Asymmetrical Warfare in 2013 from the American Public University System. He set out to get a deep and broad-based examination of resistance and rebellion in the West. In 1989, Bill earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from Humboldt State University. He completed the degree in three years with a Double Minor in Economics and International Relations.

Bill started his career in the US Navy in 1979 as an Ocean Systems Technician and Petty Officer. He served in the US Navy specializing in intelligence, oceanographic research, and anti-submarine warfare within the Pacific Fleet area of operations (Third and Seventh Fleet) at NAVFACs in Hawaii and California.

In 1986, he worked as Non-Commissioned Officer for US Naval Reserve and US Army Reserve and after three and a half years he became US Army Commissioned Officer where he served for almost 14 years. He was commissioned in Combat Arms and branch-detail accession to Military Intelligence in the US Army. He served in light infantry, airborne, and Special Forces formations throughout his career.

In 2003, Bill retired and took an extended sabbatical at his ranch in Northern Idaho. After four years, he contracted for a variety of military projects. Bill became Senior Instructor of Irregular Warfare at the Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leadership Course for Oberon Associates.

Soon he stepped up to Senior Advisor of Intelligence and Master Analyst where he mentored the development of cutting edge technologies at the Intelligence Battle Lab and ran an architectural team that mapped the effectiveness and gaps of very complex government & military organizations and mission sets.

Oberon, a Stanley Company, was acquired by CGI Group in 2010, and Bill then became Director Consulting and Architectures Team Lead at CGI where he stayed for three years.

In January 2003, Bill became NATO Operations Planner through ProSource Technology where he was responsible for current operations, orders processing and staff oversight for NATO Training Missions — Afghanistan in concert with 42 coalition nations. After half a year, he became the Senior Leadership Mentor for Ministry of Defence at New Century. It was one of his most rewarding jobs, as he describes it:

One of my most rewarding jobs yet has been the mentoring of the senior leadership of the Afghanistan National Army G2 (Intelligence) in Kabul. We quite literally helped to build a foreign intelligence service from the ground up with all the challenges and successes from a task so large. I have significant expertise in military operations, intelligence analysis, and the business of intelligence. I have a significant background in intelligence support and inter-agency operations.

After a year in Afghanistan, he became Senior Advisor & Training Development Specialist at Titania Solutions Group, Inc., but soon left and Founded The Gravitas Group LLC., a consulting company for leadership coaching, and mentoring executives where he acts as the President today. Bill describes himself:

I have a deep practical understanding and implementation of all staff processes of both conventional Army and Special Operation Forces planning methodologies at Brigade/Group level and below to include interfacing/liaison function with Echelons Corps and Above in both garrison and combat operations. I have a very deep and rich understanding of military history in the West and the various sub-disciplines that bridge the tactical, operational, and strategic echelons. I am an acknowledged authority in how irregular warfare works in history and practice.

Bill published his book ZeroGov: Limited Government, Unicorns and Other Mythological Creatures in 2012. He regularly writes on his blog ZeroGov.com.

Watch his interview on YouTube about his blog ZeroGov.Com (accessible only from the USA or VPN) and Abolitionism. Watch and listen to him on The Scott Horton Show. Watch the podcast with Bill on the TigerLily YouTube Channel.

“It was Bill’s speech that introduced me to most logical evolution of our society — that in which there will be ZERO government!!” — TigerLily