Originally Posted by
beardy
The only arbiters of the performance of the VSOs are the politicians who appoint them. His future is linked to their politics and not his performance.
This. The Royal Air Force was devised with this in mind. It was the price that had to be paid for its very existence by its founding fathers. The disadvantages emerged in WWII, but the real damage has been done long since. Those of my generation were favoured with VSO warriors who knew the importance of comradeship, duty, sacrifice, and service. The long period of peace since (not withstanding post-colonial and expeditionary conflicts) has seen the rise of the professional VSO, and such values have given way to ambition, self-advancement, and ruthlessness.
I generalise of course. Self-interest was present in WWII, just as dedication to duty doubtless exists still within the higher echelons of the RAF, but the present CAS armed with a personal agenda is a child of our times. No doubt the corridors of power reverberate already with talk of a palace coup, and the old adage that one should be careful what one wishes for springs to mind.
I would venture that this is no way to run a whelk stall let alone a modern air force. It is VSOs that have rendered whole RAF fleets to be unairworthy and enabled a cover up that prevents necessary reform. It has to stop. They have to stop. The RAF needs leaders, not managers. Where are they?