We kept our carriers because our Admirals fought back against the kind of parochial crap the RAF pulled on Mr Healey (if the narrator there is accurately depicting how it all went down ... )
We had to fight again with the Air Force after Gulf War "roles and missions" debates ran wild over whose rice bowl would get kicked over. They once again wanted to do away with A-10, but the other three services backed them down. Good thing, the Hawg is still flying, and doing great things.