"the FC world has been shooting itself in the foot by stating that they don't consider the E3D to be a front line tour. Whereas hiding underground in Norfolk is!
This had me scratching my head somewhat - most FC officers would happily crawl naked over broken glass to get a whiff of a beer-soaked Waddington flying suit!
I would also be greatly surprised if the branch ever lost this aspiration.
However, there is a wider political context. I had heard it said - on good authority from a horse's mouth, so to speak - that TG12 does have a view similar to the one expressed! This indicates one of the major pitfalls of the TG/Branch structure the RAF "enjoys" - that of consistency between the officer and non-commissioned ranks working in the same, or closely related, roles. Also, it would not be surprising if other TGs and re-employed F3 navs have their eyes on the slots on the jet. However, the F3 nav issue would be a one-off manning "windfall" (someone at MoD has probably thought in such crass terms) and it is unlikely a sustainable manning policy could be built on this, although it would be impossible to deny the prospect of a short-term imperative to fill seats on this basis to avoid wastage.
Finally, there is no point at FCs getting bitter and twisted at the crew mix issue, as different specialisations add to the combined knowledge of the crew, and this is to be welcomed. However, any suggestions that the E3 or the FC branch would be better-off without each other is wide of the mark to say the least!