having flown in both systems, the JAA system isnt 'better' - it simply results in weeding out more people who cant afford the time/effort/money to study for the exams
i believe ex-mil people can automatically get a CPL if they have 500 hours on type, and an ATPL if they have a certain number of "command" hours. i dont really know the details. i also believe if they have a certain number of hours there is a "military bridging" groundschool option which is fewer than 14 exams
but yes, the LPC is a rip off.