When Andy Davis first heard “energy security,” he thought what most people think. Oil. Nuclear. Geopolitics. A problem that lived somewhere far away, between governments.
He had more reason than most to think that way. As an Army Ranger, he parachuted into Iraq on the night of the invasion and later spent ten days in a firefight on top of the Haditha Dam, one of the largest power-generating facilities in the country. There was intel it would be blown to flood the Euphrates and trap American troops. His mortar crews were hitting the substations below. At the time, it was a mission. Years later, working for one of the largest dam owners in the world, he found himself giving public tours of hydroelectric dams and realized he’d been standing on top of one of these structures under fire long before he ever explained one to a crowd.
That full circle is the heart of this conversation, but it isn’t really the point. The point is what changed in how Andy sees the work.
His argument is simple: energy security stopped being a geopolitical abstraction for him and became a kitchen-table issue. People want the lights to stay on and the bill to stay predictable. Most of them have no idea where the power actually comes from or what the charges mean. He thinks the industry has a job to do there, and that most of these arguments are won or lost not in Washington but in a town hall or at someone’s kitchen table.
Kevin pushes on this from his own experience riding out hurricanes in Houston, where a small home microgrid is the difference between his kids streaming on their iPads and the neighbors huddled around a candle.
There’s also a straight answer here for veterans wondering how to break into energy, and it has less to do with credentials than you’d expect.
Andy didn’t plan any of this. He’ll tell you the best move he made was being willing to walk through a door he hadn’t planned on.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction & Andy Davis
01:39 - Welcome & Spotting Fellow Veterans
05:05 - His Work in Community Engagement
07:08 - Finding Project Vanguard
11:05 - Joining the Army Rangers
13:39 - The Combat Jump Into Iraq
16:31 - The Haditha Dam Mission
22:41 - From GI Bill Struggles to Politics
27:49 - Advice for Veterans Entering Energy
29:27 - Energy Security at the Kitchen Table
33:36 - Becoming a Project Vanguard Leader
37:19 - Closing Thoughts & Sign-Off
Resources
People & Organizations
Andy Davis
Kevin Doffing (LinkedIn)
Project Vanguard (Website - LinkedIn - Facebook - YouTube)
Community Leader Fellowship (Apply)
Other orgs mentioned
Atlantic Council Global Energy Center (Website)
Company & Industry News
Section 247 Hydroelectricity Incentives: Brookfield Renewable Selections (Department of Energy)
Solutions to the Energy Talent Gap Are Hiding in Plain Sight (Utility Dive)
Related Podcasts by Project Vanguard
Related Substack Posts by Kevin
