I think you are 100% correct. The probelem is we are not used to taking ANY casualties. We are too used to war being antiseptic and if we sustain a few dozen casualties in the eye of the press, they report it as if we are losing.
My take is progress is going so fast, that our airforces are too busy taking care of strategic targets first before they can engage tactical targets in full. That will change very very soon.
Close Air Support (CAS) is too important to leave to the USAF -- no offense to the blue-suiters. This is why the US Army has so many armed helicopters & gunships.