Deliverance,
I'm not a crab basher OK? - All's i'm saying is that given the current Manpower levels in the 3 services one has to wonder weather there is any gain to be had in keeping them apart. Now from what I Know (i'm an ex Civil Servant - But i'm cured now!) from experience is that the RAF...
a/ Are the most civilian-like of all the services. (No bad thing if you're looking in from the civil service - good people to do business with)
b/ Are the most likely to say Can't do - (Found that out in Pitreavie and Kinloss)
and
c/ (For the life of me I don't know why) Are/were the the most technologicaly backward of the services (I was in the RN Equivilent of RAFSEE at the time.)
Point c/ has no doubt been resolved since all three support systems (For comms at least) have now been amalgamated. Point b/ however does seem to be a sticking point. I don't know if this is a good example but I happen to spend a lot of time in Lossiemouth - and when i'm there I drink in the Various pubs around town. I try to avoid the "Off Camp Mess's" because I like to drink with folk to don't talk about they're work all day. However I'm pleased to say that a few of the lads from the camp do end up in the "Golden Triangle" (The Steamboat/Harbour Bar/Brander) and as the beer flows one gets some real insight into the mindset of your average Crab wrt going to sea. Almost all of them asked do not want to go near either JSF or JHC because of the Sea going factor. My own Brother (Corpral at Waddington) feels pretty much the same. And who can blame them? They didn't sign up for Rum, Bum, and Baccy did they? So I don't think i'd be far of the mark when I guess that JFH is quite probably having worse retention snags as compared to the rest of the RAF. Probably JHC too. The only way I can see round this is to bring the RAF out of both of these area's. Which by the time you've done that - you have to ask is it really worth retaining a 3rd service. For that matter why not just have 1?