Veterans in Advanced Energy Profile: Kevin Doffing

Kevin Doffing, a 2021-2022 Veterans advanced energy fellow

Kevin Doffing, a 2021-2022 Veterans Advanced Energy Fellow, saw the negative effects of energy poverty firsthand while deployed to Iraq as an Army platoon officer charged with securing stable electricity for war-torn regions. This experience drives his career today to democratize energy access and independence for greater stability and economic growth. To other veterans, he says, the energy transition is the next battlefront and strong leaders with a sense of service are needed to ensure success. As told to Madalin How.

Why did you join the military and what was your role?

I was drawn to serve after watching 9/11 unfold. I just knew that I needed to serve in any way I could. In 2005, I joined and immediately went into the infantry. My path in the military was straightforward—I started from the bottom and worked my way up.  

When I was enlisting in the military, they were short on officers, so I was commissioned to become an officer right after I had joined. During my time in the military, I stayed in the Army and became a light infantry platoon officer in Iraq for 15 months on my first tour. While in Iraq, I was in Ar Ramadi, an area that would later serve as the military’s playbook on how to stabilize a region and return authority to local forces. After establishing a secure environment for the local civilians, my role became more focused on negotiating and implementing contracts to rebuild a village outside of Ar Ramadi that had been destroyed by the war. By the time I left the military, I had been promoted to the rank of a captain.  

How did the military influence your career trajectory into energy 

While I was in Iraq, one of my tasks was distributing diesel to locals to keep them powered and operational. Although I had been exposed to the energy sector while living in Houston, Texas, nothing compared to the situation I saw in Iraq. While on the ground, I saw the impact of energy policy at the last mile. Many of the locals I met did not have the means to provide for their family because of their lack of access to energy. Seeing energy poverty firsthand, I worked to secure contracts to build capital to ensure energy was sustained in the region. By having reliable access to energy, I was able to provide the area with greater stability. It was at this time I learned the critical nature that energy plays on a stable economy and knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to the energy sector.  

What are you most excited about in advanced energy developments, and what are you most concerned about? 

I am most excited about the opportunity to democratize energy and the ability to control it on the individual level. In doing so, people can own their electricity and lift themselves up through energy independence, which can have a widescale effect on the economy as a whole. Conversely, I am concerned about the inevitable disruption and destabilization of existing institutions through the energy transition. Simply put, people do not deal well with change and the traditional order of deploying capital centered around fossil fuel is no longer what we are seeing in the energy sector. The world is rushing into the energy transition because we have finally accepted the reality of climate change and are trying to transition away from fossil fuels in the fastest way possible, but sadly doing things fast isn’t always cheap.  

The energy transition has a multitude of impacts on our world, and it is no longer a matter of wanting natural gas or eliminating natural gas—it is larger than that.  When climate change shifts people from the global South to global North, it disrupts the status quo. Just looks at what the mass migration from Syria to Europe caused to their political, social, and economic systems. A massive disruption to our global economy is on the horizon. Jobs are already changing and the workforce for renewable energy is expanding, but will it be enough in time for the political clout in sectors such as coal phase out? These jobs are a central part of many communities and as a power vacuum is created, what fills it? These are all questions that I am waiting for and seeking answers.  

Why is energy important to US national security? 

Without energy, people are placed into vulnerable positions. For this reason, it is important to not take energy for granted because it serves as a tool of stabilization. Stability is essential to our quality of life. It comes before anything else, and the democratization of energy and being able to own and generate your own electricity provides reliable stability. I see energy poverty as one of the greatest destabilizing forces, while at the same time, energy independence serves as the greatest stabilizer for humanity on all levels, from local to global.  

Do you have advice you would like to share with other veterans? 

Other veterans need to know that there is another tour of duty, the fight for the energy transition is our next battlefront. Veterans should deploy their ability to work as a team paired with their leadership skills to aid in this transition. The energy transition has been slow to roll because it has lacked strong leadership. The experience and selfless service of veterans can fill in this gap. To put it simply, I think veterans are essential to ensuring we have a successful energy transition.  

What are you most looking forward to about the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship? 

I am most looking forward to connecting with the other fellows since I love talking to people who are also passionate about energy. Many of us have had similar experiences and a diverse set of worldviews which is a great environment to grow professionally. This program is an amazing addition to the energy transition community that I am a part of in Houston. I am excited to connect with everyone to discuss our thoughts about the future of the energy sector and advance each others’ careers.