The Trump administration is studying the possibility of using oil reserves beneath U.S. military bases and other Department of War sites to help replenish the nation's depleted emergency oil stockpiles, according to a person familiar with the matter.
No final decision yet
No decision has been made on the potential initiative, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss private information. The move comes as the administration has vowed to find innovative ways to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which has seen additional declines during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Historic low for reserves
The reserve, created after the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s, is poised to reach its lowest level since 1982. The Biden administration oversaw a historic drawdown to tame skyrocketing gasoline prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and reserves declined further after President Donald Trump ordered a 172-million-barrel release to help ease soaring energy prices amid the Iran conflict.
The near closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sparked a global fuel crunch, burdening consumers with soaring prices. U.S. retail gasoline prices this week topped $4.50 per gallon for the first time since July 2022, extending their upward march just as Americans prepare for the busy summer travel season.
Potential benefits and challenges
A project to drill under military bases is unlikely to have any immediate impact on energy prices, but it could allow the U.S. government to outright own the oil produced, eliminating the need to purchase crude from private producers to replenish inventories. The Biden administration had begun slowly refilling the emergency cache but ran out of funding to buy more crude. The Trump administration has stated that refilling the reserves is a national security priority.
Energy Secretary's remarks
Energy Secretary Chris Wright alluded to the possible initiative at a forum last month, stating that the administration planned “to do pragmatic things” with energy resources under federal control and that “creative ways” were needed to refill the reserve.
“We have military bases or facilities that are in the middle of oil fields, but there is no development under those resources — that’s crazy. It’s right there,” Wright said at an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal. “We will see some creative things.”
Historical context and potential sites
It was not immediately clear which Department of War sites were under consideration. In September 2025, the Trump administration sold drilling rights for oil and gas under nearly 2,000 acres of land at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, one of two U.S. Air Force bases that host B-52 bombers. Although not very common, drilling at military bases is not entirely novel; oil and gas leasing has been permitted for decades at Barksdale.
According to a 2025 analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey, some 29.4 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil and 391 trillion cubic feet of natural gas exist under federal lands, including property owned by the Department of Defense, the Interior Department, and other agencies.
