Having been in the RAF for 23 years, and then a civilian instructor at a Ph2 trg unit for the last 12, I see both good and bad from the Ph1 system. IOT is still producing excellent individuals with character and potential but, sadly, it no longer really acts as a filter. So, we end up with a small percentage of individuals who are not suited to life in uniform. It is then left to the Ph2 machine to either make a silk purse out of a sow's ear or get them out of the system altogether. The emphasis is on 'training' which is as it should be but that must include an element of assessment. The latter seems to be missing to some degree from Ph1. That means that the minority who are a problem suck up most of the time and resources at Ph2 and 3, just like the gobby ones in a school class of 35 kids.
On another tack, we also have to take into account the 'kids' of today. Shortish attention span, no really long term commitment and requiring regular 'rewards'. As one Wg Cdr recently put it, the 'popcorn' generation.
So, I don't really think that the length of IOT is the issue. It is about making the best of what is available and weeding out the no-hopers at the Ph1 stage rather then maintaining the huggy/fluffy approach we seem to have.
Another area that leaves me open mouthed is the lack of leadership. We seem to now have offices full of very clever 'spreadsheet managers' and a large part of education comes from on-line courses. However, that is another story......