Yes, there are places where you can actually do something loosely defined as CAS with JDAMs from a B1. But some simply cannot. There’s no such thing as a gun run near like the ones that have saved lots of men in places where you can’t drop a JDAM. And though defense contractors love it, killing 4 guys with a 60 year old RPK with a precision weapon is a waste of cash.
“And though defense contractors love it, killing 4 guys with a 60 year old RPK with a precision weapon is a waste of cash.”
Well, it depends.
The questions to be answered are...
How often is such a mission required, or anticipated over all scenarios?
What is the cost of maintaining a fleet of CAS-only aircraft for this mission vs the cost of doing it another way?
Certainly if US forces anticipated a grinding ground war in Korea you could make a case (though not a perfect case) for keeping the A-10.
In almost all other scenarios it’s just a target.
I think the best argument for keeping it is that it’s exciting to imagine what it can do...up close.
But am convinced it’s a poor fiscal and military decision to do so.