Abstract
This article examines the security risks to Middle East oil trade to try to answer two questions: Can armed forces defend oil installations? And if destroyed, could the military restore oil production and trade in the Middle East? The paper concludes that the Persian Gulf oil installations are largely indefensible although conventional forces will help deter attacks against the region. As long as the Persian Gulf remains the principal conduit for oil shipments from the Middle East, the threat of force against the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf would be enough to disrupt oil trade. One of the best strategies is to build oil pipelines across Saudi Arabia to divert supply away from the Persian Gulf. Ultimately, however, security of Middle East Oil must be treated as a political rather than logistical problem. Only when internal Arab conflicts are resolved can the risk of terrorist or military attacks on oil installations diminish.
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