#178: Going Where Government Can’t - Grey Bull Rescue Founder Bryan Stern

Americans are valuable commodities. America’s adversaries know it and too often, when given the opportunity, our enemies kidnap, arrest and hold hostage Americans in an effort to get what they want. 

The United States Government maintains robust diplomatic and military programs to bring Americans home; but the process is often slow and bureaucratic. Bryan Stern isn’t waiting around for permission to act. He’s the founder of Grey Bull Rescue, a nonprofit that specializes in pulling people out of the worst situations on Earth including conflict zones, collapsed governments, and failed evacuations where no one else is coming. Since its founding, Grey Bull has led over 700 missions in more than 70 countries, rescuing thousands of Americans and allies left behind.

From SOF Week 2025 Fran Racioppi sat down with Bryan to talk about what it means to lead through chaos. They broke down the rescue of 117 Americans from Afghanistan in 2021, how Grey Bull makes life-and-death decisions with limited information, and why Bryan believes the phrase “No American Left Behind” isn’t negotiable; for the government or its citizens.

We also discussed the future of rescue operations. As global instability increases and our enemies get smarter, the need for fast, precise, off-grid capability is only going up. Grey Bull is filling a gap where the government can't move fast enough and showing what’s possible when the mission comes first.

This episode is about courage, clarity, and acting when no one else can. Because leadership under pressure means getting the job done, no matter how impossible it looks.

Highlights

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:57 Welcome to SOF Week 2025
• 3:58 The Mission of Grey Bull Rescue
• 8:03 How do you choose who to rescue?
• 11:48 Government Entities Relationships
• 15:56 Founding Grey Bull Rescue
• 25:03 Making Bad Deals
• 32:45 Finding The Next Battlefield
• 47:21 Overcoming Fears of Taking Action

Quotes

• “Our mission is to rescue Americans and allies from denied areas, war zones, and natural disasters wherever the government is not.”
• “I answer to two people and two people only: God and the families of the people we’re trying to rescue.”
• "Bureaucracy doesn’t bleed. People do.” 
• “I deploy knowing that the first idea I have I know will fail.”
• “I’m not trying to be in the way. I’m trying to help.”
• “I live every day like it’s September 12th.”
• “As an American, we move heaven and earth to get your back.”
• “We have never successfully negotiated with anyone.”
• “Right now, everyone should be deployed.”
• “We got the tools. We just have to think about the problems the right way.”

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