The Pentagon's Oil-Sucking Ways

By Michael Klare

The wars of the future may be fought just to run the machines that fight them.

The Pentagon V. Peak Oil

Michael T. Klare writes: "Sixteen gallons of oil. That's how much the average American soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan consumes on a daily basis - either directly, through the use of Humvees, tanks, trucks and helicopters, or indirectly, by calling in air strikes. Multiply this figure by 162,000 soldiers in Iraq, 24,000 in Afghanistan and 30,000 in the surrounding region (including sailors aboard US warships in the Persian Gulf), and you arrive at approximately 3.5 million gallons of oil: the daily petroleum tab for US combat operations in the Middle East war zone.