Me thinks/IMHO: As a (now)old Infantryman; it seems the Air Force always wants to get rid of the A-10 — until someone from the Army says “we’ll take them!” Then, the A-10 is suddenly a critical Air Force asset again. It could not possibly have anything to do with funding and pilot slots could it?
give the CAS responsibility and $$$$ to the Army/Marines
USAF gets everything above (terrestrial) in the air/space.