You may have heard me talk about such big-scale needs in recent podcasts—and how the huge demand in data centers will stress the whole supply chain. We are already seeing the mad rush for GW-powered land, but that is only the beginning. The whole supply chain—from MEP equipment manufacturers to fiber, chips, transformers, you name it—will be stressed, and the workforce is no exception.
To the latter point, I had the opportunity to spend three days in San Diego with the US Navy in June thanks to Tony Grayson’s invite for a VIP tour with a few other fortunate people. As many of you know, Tony is not only a great data center executive, but also a nuclear submarine veteran who spent 20-some years in the field and ended his career as a captain of the sub (more on this experience later). Since leaving the Navy, Tony has been a huge advocate for the military and the workforce it trains as a potential career path into our industry. Ultimately, this advocacy was the purpose of the tour—to get to know the amazing people in the Navy and showcase the complex systems (many of which are quite mission-critical) they maintain and run. Arguably, these systems are much more complex and dangerous than anything we see in the data center industry. In addition, both Jim Smith (Senior Advisor at IPI Partners) and I were able to bring our sons, which frankly one can argue makes this a recruiting trip as well—especially since my son had just graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a commercial pilot only the month before (yes, he was considering joining the Navy).
Tony had worked with the Navy to immerse us lucky ones into quite a unique experience over the three days.
Day 1: Tour of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3 (HSC-3) facility and training team
DAY 2: Tour of the SEAL team facility in the morning and tour of a nuclear submarine (USS Hampton SSN 767) in the afternoon
Day 3: Helicopter flight to the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) for a full-day immersion on an operating aircraft carrier
Each day was better than the next.
Day 1: Helicopters
The first day we spent with the helicopter squadron. We were greeted by a captain who was responsible for training the navy helicopter pilots. She and her team hosted us with a tour that included flying an aircraft simulator that they trained on. Additionally, we had the chance to see a helicopter up close and what it takes to maintain. The complexity of the helicopter combined with the harsh environment of operations really made me appreciate what it takes to keep these things flying. I learned so much that first day, including how much the military had integrated women into leadership roles. It was really good to see.
Day 2: Submarines
The second day we had the chance to spend time with Navy SEALs and got a full tour of their operations and training center. The SEALs were there throughout the experience to answer questions and to give color to the tour. They were all incredibly knowledgeable and very committed to their jobs and the career the military was offering them.
After having lunch in the naval cafeteria (the food was pretty good, by the way!), we headed over to the nuclear sub base. We started by going into a nuclear submarine simulator that gave a sense for the steep dive and ascents that a submarine is subject to. But nothing prepared us for going inside the sub itself. Here we were not allowed to take any pictures, but we were again given full access to all of the people. Of the whole trip, this submarine was most surprising experience to me. The tight conditions were like nothing I could have ever imagined. It takes really special and committed people to live months at a time under these conditions and never see the light of day. It really made me appreciate Tony’s previous career as a sub captain!
Day 3: AirCraft Carriers
The third day was particularly special—how many civilians actually get to go out to an aircraft carrier that is fully operational? The first thing we had to do was gear up for the one-hour helicopter flight. Since this was my first time on a helicopter, I had trepidations. Interestingly enough, our pilot was inspired to be a pilot after being a cook in the Navy. What an amazing career change offered by the military! We heard these types of stories time and time again over our three days with the Navy. Our trip out on the helicopter was uncomfortable and loud, yet also fun, especially as we approached the carrier. Our morning landing offered an amazing view with no airplanes in sight. Before we roamed too far, we were whisked to the Commanding Officer’s quarters. This setting was a totally different experience from being on the sub. There was even a spacious conference room that could be used for presidential meetings—plenty of room and much more to my liking!
The CO, Captain Thomas, was very gracious and pretty much opened up the ship for us, so we seized the opportunity to explore. We went back to the deck and checked it out end-to-end before planes came in later that afternoon. We watched tests on the catapults, learned about the arresting wires, and pretty much got to see all of the other systems on the ship. Here we were, out in the middle of the ocean, but it felt like we were on a massive parking lot with really no feeling of being on a ship. I have never experienced that out at sea.
Next we explored the deck operation room that was in the tower at deck level. This room was effectively what we would call ground control at a commercial airport. As everything was explained by the team in the room, I was struck by how young everyone working there was. After hiking up many flights of stairs, we found the same age range up on the bridge. There are about 5,000 people on a carrier, and they have an average age of 20 years old. The amount of responsibility given to these people at the start of their careers was astounding. Think about it: To build a Nimitz-class carrier today would cost well over ten billion USD.
We had lunch in the wardroom (the officers’ cafeteria), and the food selection and quality was excellent. Everything was fresh and tasty. However, we were told that they had left port the day before and the food is always excellent on the beginning of their mission … but after months at sea, the food all comes out of cans and is not that great. Glad we were there at the beginning!
After lunch, we were taken down to a briefing room to put on our VIP deck gear with safety vests and multiple layers of ear protection. Soon the planes were ready to come in from the mainland to practice “touch and go” and landings. This was about to be the experience of our lifetimes. We were whisked out to the deck again and, as we were taught in the briefing room, were told not to cross the sideline of the deck (or in civilian terms, the runway)—otherwise we would be violently yanked back by the handles on our vests to protect us. The experience was surreal. It felt like I was dropped in the middle of the opening scene of the original Top Gun movie. The sounds, the intense activity of the planes landing and catapulting simultaneously, the arrestor cables being rewound between frequent landings, and the intense activity of all of the people, each of whom knew exactly what to do … It all brings me to the whole point of this article: the people in the Navy!
The People of the Navy
Let me first start by saying how proud I am to be in a country with such an amazing military. But for me, as much of a tech geek as I am, my pride was because of the people. Everyone we met and spoke to (we were encouraged to do so by our host, Commodore Moran) was respectful, professional, and engaging. Clearly they were proud of their work and roles in the Navy. In addition, it struck me how well they all worked together in a highly diverse environment of different genders and many races with a common goal of protecting the globe.
And this was really my take-away from this trip. In order to keep these complex systems running smoothly (for example, the carrier and sub), there needs to be a highly trained workforce. As mentioned, the infrastructure the Navy works with can cost in the range of 10 to 20 billion USD, which means it represents the most advanced technology in the world. Plus, it’s also very mission–critical in nature.
Why Should We Care?
The infrastructure industry has always struggled to find experienced talent to feed the growth of the cloud. However, with the impending explosion of AI, demand for capacity is likely to be ten times what it is now within the next decade. We are moving into a supply-constrained world, and it’s unlikely we will meet the demand unless we think differently rather than repeating what got us here. We are already seeing the power constraints, and we already see the supply chain is strained, and we have only just begun. But most importantly, we will need people—highly skilled people who can think big, operate in a much higher level of complexity, and feel comfortable in a mission-critical environment.
Which brings me back to the Navy. I was so impressed with the sailors and the people of the Navy. Clearly they were mission-driven and given huge responsibilities at a very young age, which is rarely seen in any other industry. I see the Navy as a huge source of much-needed talent. I know in my own experience I have had ex-submarine veterans work for me, and they were excellent and always willing to tackle bigger challenges. I think there is a huge opportunity for our industry not only to recruit from the broader Navy (and the armed forces in general) but also be more deliberate in working together to develop a much more integrated career path. So, let’s be more deliberate about leveraging the graduates from our military. Please reach out to Tony, who is advocating for this exact situation and will be sponsoring similar events in the future. I want to give special thanks to Tony Grayson for this opportunity and for opening my eyes. I also would like to thank Commodore Moran and his team for being such gracious hosts and giving us access and experiences that were previously only in my dreams. And thank you to all of the people who make huge sacrifices in their lives to protect our country. While I love the technology in the Navy, at the end of the day, it’s you who inspire me.
