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

* Brookfield Renewable (Website –LinkedIn)

* NYISO (Website –LinkedIn)

* 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

* How a Marine Lands in Energy Policy

* Energy Needs a New Pitch, Veterans Are It

Related Substack Posts by Kevin

* Make Energy Boring Again

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