The Air Force was told to get the drones up and running in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2 years now but it’s been like pulling teeth in getting it going. The Air Force has purposely tried to distance themselves from these combat situations because they might miss the next air show.
That sounds like the most reasonable explanation as to why this happened so far. I thought there was a report released critical of the Air Force's role in Iraq a month or two ago.
In Billy Mitchell's day, the advocates of a future Air Force complained that the Army brass did not understand and had little interest in strategic air power.
Today, the Army complains that the Air Force does not understand and had little interest in ground support operations.
Maybe it's time to reestablish the U.S. Army Air Corps and remove all restrictions from what the Army can do in regards to air power.