The upper levels of Army command - along with everyone else - had been raised using weapons that all had a solidly attached bolt handle that could force a cartridge into the chamber - regardless of whether that was actually a good idea or even recommended battle drill for a malfunction. Since the Army is 90% NOT Infantry, and doesn't use the M16 as their primary tool in their job, they aren't "guncentric," and don't understand the advanced user's needs.
They had the program to stick the FA on the upper long before other problems cropped up in the upsurge of fielding. They should have fixed the magwell and redesigned a properly curved 30 round mag to feed it - but they don't know about guns, do they?
These days the silly things are cheaper to buy than a slickside upper, in terms of cost, just live with them. On a hunting firearm, they actually do offer a silent loading option, which civilian shooters can use to their advantage, not slamming bolts home in conservation area parking lots, or charging an empty gun at home without alarming the family.
That ISN'T a combat technique, period. No soldier exits the wire unloaded - it's COMBAT, charge the weapon and put the safety where the ROE and operations require. It could very well be OFF before you even exit the safety of your position. It's not a range, it's combat, and being disarmed to face the enemy is one of those little disconnects that Hollywood and civilians make to give away their relative cluelessness.
Lock the bolt back, insert mag, tap button, let the carrier slam home. It's made to do that, and anything less endangers the user with a missfeed and bad habit. The charging handle just retracts the bolt, and the FA makes old school shooters who don't understand correct procedures feel good about doing something - like jamming the round in even worse.
In the 22 years I served in the Reserves and active duty, I never needed the FA, it's a dust collector that creates a malfunction if it breaks. Suppressor users take them off and directionally vent them - the lump has a purpose then.