The transition of Navigator to WSO is quite a shrewd move for the Air Force. They havn't got a clue as to how many Navs they will need in the future because of the delays into service of future projects. They also could not persuade people to be AEOps - imagining hearing in the careers office "you have a 90% chance of going to the far north of Scotland with little chance of a commission". Therefore, the new clumping of rear crew trades will give a few more carrots to future NCA while ensuring that there will be a pool of qualified people to plunder for "Navs" should the need arise. (I'll still wear my "N" badge though).
As to whether Navs are a waste of time..... Mrs Wensleydale went to school with a lad who became a Jaguar pilot. Sadly he ran into Cumulo-Granitus while at the OCU at Lossie in the early 1980s. Mum in Law sent us a copy of his orbituary from the local paper which stated that he always wanted to be a single seat fighter pilot because he didn't want to rely upon anybody else. 'nuf said. Its a bit like the DC10 that was turned the wrong way by ATC in Teneriffe and flew into the mountain while 2 pilots and an eng were discussing a minor snag. Its amazing what an extra pair of eyes and ears in the cockpit can do for you.