America runs on data. If we don’t build the infrastructure, China will. That is the warning from two veterans who are now leading the push to rebuild the country’s digital backbone.
A retired special operations officer who served during the Global War on Terror, Mike, and Kirk Offel, a former Navy nuclear attack submarine captain, have watched information move at the speed of need throughout their careers. They now argue that the United States is losing its grip on the physical systems that make that information possible.
The message is straightforward: the AI competition is not merely a contest of code. It concerns power, copper, concrete, and the individuals who assemble it all.
The Lesson From the Sea
The ocean held the lessons that Offel learned about the value of information. He kept a supercomputer within reach at all times, and expected it to deliver everything he needed to know about the submarine, its crew and its mission without delay. The right information arriving at the right moment was what saved lives.
On the battlefield, Mike found that knowing where his people stood, what was happening around him, and how to move before the enemy did was essential. The difference between success and failure rested on having reliable information that arrived without delay.
The objectives varied from one mission to the next, and the time period changed too, yet the message remained consistent throughout.
The Race Is About Physical Capacity
Running the best software in the AI race depends on more than writing it. It also depends on building the power generation, transmission, data centers and workforce capable of running it.
The United States can produce the most inventive code imaginable, but if it falls short on that part of the equation, the effort will still come to nothing. Hardware relies on power, and the software depends on the hardware beneath it.
Beijing grasps the stakes here. It is building out power generation, transmission, manufacturing and computing capacity at a rapid pace, since technological supremacy depends on having the physical means to support it. As Washington argues over how AI ought to be governed, our rivals are busy ensuring they possess the infrastructure needed to put it into use.
The Machines That Keep America Alive
The systems that keep daily life running are not hidden from view. They need power, transmission lines, fiber optic cables, steel, concrete and trained workers. Most Americans do not give these things a second thought, since they are always present.
The systems that sustain American life are breaking down, and we no longer remember how to put them back together.
Delays in permitting, congestion on the grid and problems in the supply chain are holding back new power generation and new transmission lines at a time when AI and high-performance computing are driving vast increases in electricity use. The outcome is a system that cannot match its own rising demand.
The Fifth Utility
Servers housed inside large commercial buildings make up data centers, but they are more than just storage facilities. As Offel describes it, they are a component of the Fifth Utility — an interconnected web of compute, power, fiber and digital infrastructure that underpins banking, healthcare, transportation, commerce, emergency communications, national intelligence and defense.
This does not mean communities should simply allow development without demanding answers to difficult questions. People who live there have a right to know what effects projects will have on power, water, land, electricity costs and local infrastructure. Those building developments owe it to the public to show up early, answer these questions honestly and invest responsibly in the places where they build.
The Workforce Shortage
Electricians, line workers, welders, high-voltage technicians, construction professionals and mission-critical operators aren’t born — they’re trained, and America needs all of them to keep its data centers and power plants running.
Every year, roughly 200,000 men and women step away from military duty carrying a set of traits that this industry badly requires: technical discipline, leadership, adaptability and the capacity to deliver under pressure when there is no room for error.
Our national strategy should treat building stronger connections between military service and jobs in critical infrastructure as more than just a workforce push — it should be a central part of the plan itself.
Building Like It Matters
The United States retains the capital, energy supplies, technology and talent needed to lead the digital age. Yet it would be a mistake to believe these advantages will endure if our rivals keep moving ahead faster than we do.
We must begin constructing as though we intend to lead the digital age if America hopes to do so.
The Bottom Line
While the digital world can seem intangible, the physical systems that support it are very real. They need electricity, cables, metal, building materials and trained workers to function.
Overwatch Mission Critical is a Texas-based Service-Disabled Veteran Owned data center company that hires and trains future leaders for high-skill jobs in the field. Its CEO, Offel, served as a Navy nuclear attack submarine veteran and is currently ranked among the top 10 global voices on data centers.
The issue at hand is whether the United States can match the sense of urgency shown by its rivals. Time waits for no one.
| Infrastructure Element | What It Needs |
|---|---|
| Power generation | New plants, transmission lines, grid capacity |
| Data centers | Buildings, cooling, fiber connections |
| Transmission | New lines, grid expansion, permitting |
| Workforce | Skilled tradespeople, training pipelines |
There is a real difference between what exists and what should exist when it comes to the systems that support the country. The issue is not whether this gap can be closed, but whether the nation decides to take the steps necessary to close it.
Source material: “America runs on data. If we don’t build the infrastructure, China will,” Fox News.
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