U.S. troops may be leaving Iraq. U.S. gear – maybe not.

Today, President Obama gave the word that two-thirds of American forces would be gone from Iraq by August, 2010. The remaining troops will focus on training and supporting the Iraqi army, Obama announced. But to do that job right, those forces are still going to need mountains of equipment. "You'll need a huge logistical backbone to maintain even a modest training force throughout the length and breadth of the country," says one administration official.

Not only will those residual forces still need their fair share of food, fuel, spare parts, and medicine. They'll also need to be defended, in case they're attacked. Which means keeping attack helicopters on alert in Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, and Mosul. Those guys will need chow and gas and gear, as well.

The end result is that the exodus of equipment predicted by some may not be all that grand. Nor that difficult. After all, the administration official says, U.S. forces are constantly exiting Iraq, at the end of their tours of duty. "Every unit in Iraq leaves Iraq eventually," the official notes. "We do this all the time. In fact, it might actually be simpler now, because their are fewer units coming in."

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[Photo: U.S. Army]