The Military and Oil Security

American forces are in Iraq to prevent Iranian imperialism from dominating the energy supplies of the industrial democracies.

—Henry Kissinger, 2007

In fiscal year 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense consumed 133 million barrels of petroleum. The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve stands at 688 million barrels, enough to supply the entire requirements of the Defense Department for five years at the 2005 rate of use.