[Saudi Arabia] Oil Fields as Military Objectives - A Feasibility Study prepared for the Special Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on International Relations, 94th Congress, 1st Session - Committee Print

Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress: John M. Collins and Clyde R. Mark at the request of Lee H. Hamilton

Edité par US Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1975

A propos de cet article

Original black printed staple-bound wraps 15x24cm. ix, 111pp including 15 full-page strategic b/w maps. Very good, tanned. Issued in the wake of the 1973-74 Oil Crisis, this responds to bullish statements made by Defense Secretary John Schlesinger and other high ranking US officials about taking military action against oil producing countries in the event of a crippling embargo. It was prepared at the request of Special Subcommittee of Investigations Chair Lee Hamilton by Library of Congress Senior National Defence Specialist John Collins and Middle Eastern Affairs Analyst Clyde Mark. It opens by examining US and allied interests, and relevant US and OPEC decisions including on whether force is justified and in whose interests. It considers OPEC and Soviet threats in terms of their capabilities and intentions, and areas of operation. A mission would be made up of 5 parts, each of which would need to be successful. These include seizing the assets intact, securing them for weeks months or years, restoring wrecked assets rapidly, operating them without owner assistance, and guaranteeing safe overseas passage for supplies and products. Saudi Arabia is taken as a detailed case study (pp41-74) with the "Saudi core" defined as four onshore fields including Abqaiq, Dammam, Ghawar and Qatif, and Berri offshore. This reviews Saudi geography, people, oil production, lines of communication, critical terrain, and assesses the military and civilian contingents required. Responding directly to Schlesinger, the report concludes that his statements are overly optimistic and based on superficial understanding. While the US "could easily defeat OPEC armed forces in any given locale", seize oilfields and facilities, preserving them intact would be "chancy" even under ideal conditions. Once taken, constant security would be a challenge. Damaged property would be hard to repair or replace. Direct Soviet intervention is a "distinct possibility", and with inadequate conventional capabilities, detonating tactical nuclear weapons would destroy the protected assets. Soviet submarines would compromise US efforts to safeguard tanker routes. And the depletion of US resources would leave it with little to deal with contingencies elsewhere. In support of the case study, several maps relate to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, showing the geography of Saudi oil areas, Saudi oilfields and facilities, the Terminal area (Saudi onshore core), Ras Tanura, Dammam facilities, oilfields in the Gulf and wider Middle East, and US approaches to the Gulf by land, sea and air. Other maps show oilfields in Venezuela, Nigeria, Libya, and Algeria, with a schematic diagram of oilfields and facilities.

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Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: [Saudi Arabia] Oil Fields as Military Objectives - A Feasibility Study prepared for the Special Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on International Relations, 94th Congress, 1st Session - Committee Print
• Éditeur: US Government Printing Office, Washington DC
• Date de parution: 1975
• Langue: anglais
• Reliure: Soft cover
• État de l'article: Very Good