A propos of nothing, there does seem to be a bit of a puritanical streak in the upper echelons of all 3 services at the moment. In the RAF’s case I can think of particular individuals who set that tone, but more generally I wonder if it is a consequence of the huge and increasing emphasis placed on ‘defence engagement’. In idealistic minds around Whitehall, shiny new bits of kit (QE, Typhoon, etc) are fantastic tools for exercising British influence. But perhaps the idealists forget the hundreds of inherently flawed and slightly less shiny things (for that is what we humans are) that come with them, and get angry when they become the story. Even if military commanders are wise enough to foresee this and downplay it, they are still beholden to civil servants, politicians and possibly even the media for their final couple of jumps up the ladder, so they have to play disappointed too...