Enter the backup. The USAF is quietly deploying AC-130U gunships to Al-Udeid AFB in Iraq. Apparently it was a secret until an AP reporter spotted one of them on the ground and noticed it was no ordinary C130.
This is a clear sign that someone’s expecting big trouble.
Edit: Looking at the story again, I notice it doesn’t say where they are being stationed – in fact AP mentions that they were threatened into keeping that quiet. Where did I get Al-Udeid from?