The National Security Implications of New Oil and Gas Production Technologies
The U.S. Shale Revolution fundamentally altered the way Americans think about oil. Namely, it forced a re-evaluation of energy’s connection to U.S. national security.
The tremendous transformation revived the aspirational notion of energy independence. Some believe that by unlocking vast oil and natural gas reserves, new oil and gas production technologies will insulate the United States from the periodic shocks that characterize the global energy market. Others suggest that a sharp reduction in the United States’ petroleum-based imports will negatively impact our relationships with countries for whom oil comprises an outsized share of government revenue. Still others contend that this line of reasoning is unduly simplistic, and that U.S. national security remains largely unaffected by newfound oil and natural gas.
This website equips users with backgrounders on the global oil and natural gas markets, emerging oil and natural gas production technologies and U.S. national security to place this debate in a broader context. We also provide links to countries with an integral presence in the worldwide petroleum market. The historical and technical analyses offered herein facilitate a deeper understanding of the diplomatic, economic and military implications of the United States’ rising oil and natural gas output, which will better enable users to scrutinize the competing theories expressed above.