I am being a devil’s advocate here, but surely the question is not; “Can an admin branch Gp Capt make decisions about flying operations?” - the answer is clearly no. But can a flying branch Gp Capt make decisions about the non flying aspects of running a station , given that the whole point of the rest of the station is to support flying operations ? Probably yes, indeed that is how the RAF has run thus far. So, maybe the agenda here is more Stn Cdr jobs for non aircrew, and thus more opportunities for higher rank thereafter. This can be debated but my personal opinion is that very few non aircrew understand how all aspects of the service come together to deliver air power. Maybe a couple of years as a Stn Cdr alongside an Air Wing Commander will improve that understanding or maybe there will just be a power struggle.