I like to think I am not a 'Doom Sayer' - but I would like to make the following observation.....
I have been in the RAF for quite some time. When I first joined it was rare to find somebody leaving, and they were normally approaching 55. Indeed the concern of many aircrew was ensuring they were signed on at 38 for a full flying career.
Today a very large proportion of people around me are not talking 'about' leaving, but rather 'when' they are leaving. This is also not just 'crewroom' talk - they are actually voting with their feet, whether on PVR terms, or at an option point. The PVR rate may not reflect this, as they are not all PVRing, and they are not all going in the next 12 months, but rather in the next 2-4 years.
Now I am not saying the RAF is in 'meltdown'. I am sure it will survive. But morale at the coalface is generally lower (in my opinion) than I have ever seen it before. This is my personal observation, make of it what people will.
From a personal point of view I found it somewhat ironic that the man who 'allegedly' said....'if you don't like it get out' (or words to that effect) was on a MOD news webpage in July accepting the 'Investors in People' award for HQ Air.
When I went through officer training I was taught that leadership was about meeting simultaneously the needs of the task, team and individual. I believe these days the focus from above is only the completion of the task.
I won't say rant off, as I haven't been ranting. Rather I have tried to restrict myself to dispassionate observations. Feel free to disagree.....