"Simply because we're smart enough to avoid having to go into close combat"

There's nothing smart about the USAF, it is a tool and has a job to do, just like any other part of the armed forces. The point of the article is that the job could be given to another corps, and the tool transferred to another competence.

Personally, as a civilian, I find remarks like that a bit offensive. The Army is not stupid because it "throws bodies at the problem until it is solved". The Army needs men because airplanes do not conquer countries, just likes ships cannot control a government. It is the men that do that.

Given that fact, the Army is indeed the most important force of all, and Air Force, Navy and Marines should realize that their sole reason for existence is to ensure that the Army gets where it needs to go without suffering casualties along the way.