The argument that the UAS system is a valuable recruiting tool is specious to say the least; at no point do any of the armed forces need to actively recruit for aircrew. As you all are no doubt consumately aware, there is a seemingly endless queue of budding tyros all eager for a stab at flying some military hardware.
It is impossible to dispute the accuracy of this comment. And indeed, the same argument could be made that the Red Arrows and similar military precision aerobatic teams perform an unnecessary recruiting mission, and should be abolished.
The more you get applying, the more you can pick and choose the cream.
Fair enough, but there is no evidence that the pool of willing applicants is so small or defective that there is any serious reason to worry about quality.
Scaling back or eliminating active recruiting efforts may mean that a few high-calibre people never apply, but that is certainly much preferable to the consequences of other cost-cutting measures that could be adopted instead. Defence cuts are a reality and have to be managed rather than ignored; to my mind, that means putting the remaining money at the sharp end, above all else.