#377 - "First Kill!" - Palantir, Nuclear War, Bio-Hybrids & AC-130 Bombing | Jesse Hamel

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Jan 27, 2026

Jesse Hamel, former USAF Lt. Colonel and AC-130 gunship aviator turned founder and CEO of Victus Technologies, talks about the dawn of drone warfare and making machines feel like trusted extensions of operators. He explores agentic AI, China’s tech influence and telecom risks, bio-hybrid dual-use concerns, and the ethical tradeoffs of high-tech defense and decision-making under pressure.

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ANECDOTE

First Combat Kill And Moral Preparation

Jesse Hamel describes his first combat kill as an al‑Qaeda commander and says he felt it was a merciful act in defense of Americans.
He prepared mentally and spiritually beforehand, which helped him process the moral weight of that moment.

INSIGHT

Monetization Becomes Weaponization

Hamel argues any monetized human activity will be weaponized, from consumer phones to satellites.
That means open economic ties with adversaries create systemic security risks the U.S. must address.

INSIGHT

The Agentic Age And Geopolitical Risk

Hamel calls our era the 'agentic age' where intelligent agents (AI + machines) act in the world.
He warns CCP access to West Coast tech gave them leverage in this transition.

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SPONSORS: 1) MIRACLE BRAND: Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made—go to https://trymiracle.com/julian and use code JULIAN to save over 40% and get a free 3-piece towel set. 2) AMENTARA: Go to https://www.amentara.com/go/JULIAN and use code JD22 for 22% off your first order. JOIN PATREON FOR EARLY UNCENSORED EPISODE RELEASES: https://www.patreon.com/JulianDorey (***TIMESTAMPS in description below) ~ Jesse Hamel is a former Air Force Lt. Colonel & AC-130 Gunship Combat Aviator. He is now CEO of Victus Technologies, a drone warfare company he founded while studying at MIT. JESSE's LINKS: X: https://x.com/jhMITgunship VICTUS: https://www.getvictus.ai/ FOLLOW JULIAN DOREY INSTAGRAM (Podcast): https://www.instagram.com/juliandoreypodcast/ INSTAGRAM (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/julianddorey/ X: https://twitter.com/julianddorey JULIAN YT CHANNELS - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Clips YT: https://www.youtube.com/@juliandoreyclips - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Daily YT: https://www.youtube.com/@JulianDoreyDaily - SUBSCRIBE to Best of JDP: https://www.youtube.com/@bestofJDP ****TIMESTAMPS**** 0:00 – Intro 01:22 – Jesse’s Air Force Background, 9/11, AC-130 Gunship, Combat Years 12:35 – Warfighters & Technology, Drones vs Human Trust, The Agentic Age 23:56 – West Coast Tech Power, CCP Exploiting Open Systems, Planning for 6G 34:31 – 6G, Humans & Machines, AI, Bio-Hybrid Hellscape 48:33 – AI Arms Race: U.S. vs China, Nuclear War 59:25 – Zooming Out on Power, Governance Problems, 1984, Corruption, Term Limits 01:12:20 – Palantir, War Has Changed, Bringing Our Team Home 01:22:00 – Snowden, Moral Tradeoffs, Combat, Mission Planning, Risk of Inaction 01:31:41 – Founders & Stress, Military, Resilience, Suffering, Slaying the Daily Dragon 01:41:45 – Turning Suffering Into Growth, Anxiety, CNS Limits, Breaking Bad Habits 01:57:03 – Mortality, Meaning, Being vs Doing, The Arc of Change 02:06:38 – AC-130 Squadrons, Dawn of Drone Warfare, Afghanistan, MQ-9 Integration 02:16:54 – Predators & Reapers, Psychological Cost of Killing, First Kill 02:27:21 – Moral Injury, The Charring of the Conscience, Faith, Kierkegaard, Purity of Heart 02:37:08 – Never Arriving at the Truth, Lifelong Learning 02:40:18 – Next Ep CREDITS: - Host, Editor & Producer: Julian Dorey - COO, Producer & Editor: Alessi Allaman - https://www.youtube.com/@UCyLKzv5fKxGmVQg3cMJJzyQ - In-Studio Producer: Joey Deef - https://www.instagram.com/joeydeef/ Julian Dorey Podcast Episode 377 - Jesse Hamel Music by Artlist.io

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