To this landlubber, the proportion of naval aviators' flying time spent developing and maintaining competence in arrested landings is ridiculous. It was one of the UK's reasons for going STOVL with the Sea Harrier and then the F35B. Accordingly I don't share SASless's dim view of F35C throttle automation and associated pilot deskilling. The primary reason for putting a human on board modern fighters is to take tactical and ethical decisions which we do not currently entrust to computers. The less time which can be spent rehearsing domestics like takeoff and landing, the more is available to rehearse combat skills. Eventually we will get to a point where the sole occupant of a combat aircraft is a passenger ahem, WSO, giving instructions but having no direct control of the aircraft. Automation did not fail in this case: the human failed to engage it. A familiar story. The actions demanded by the reviewing officer look like good ones to prevent recurrence. One F35C might turn out to be a relatively small price to pay when set against all the CQ flying that automation, properly used, could save over the aircraft's service career.