All this wrangling is pointless

Historically, what happens is that the "old boys" decide how to divide the pie during (relatively) peaceful times. Then the balloon goes up, the old boys are demonstrated to be useless relics, and the young bloods change things to an approach that works. Whichever side makes the change faster and more effectively wins the war.

So, I say, give the USAF control of all the 3500ft+ aircraft they like. The Army will be using low-altitude drones in ground-support roles anyhow, and the Air Force will be crying about how many aircraft they've lost to enemy ground-to-air missiles, instead of actually providing effective support.

In Nam, it was the Navy who provided *effective* bombing of the North, and it was the Army who provided *effective* aerial troop support. All the Air Force ever did was drive the bus between Saigon and The World.