Geoffers - you make some valid points and I know to some extent I am p*ssing into the wind but your comments re Police/AA/Fire show how civilianising things doesn't make things joined up and how the civilian turf war warriors are even more protective of their empires. CHAS nearly died a death because the civilian operators couldn't agree with each other and declared UDI.
With a fully Military outfit, you have proper command and control and standard kit, procedures etc. If things go pear-shaped and there is a need to operate in hazardous conditions (nuclear, biological etc) you can order people in to those areas.
Command and control doesn't seem to be part of the SARH bid - the ARCCK isn't part of it and I'm not sure the MCA are ready to manage all the inland jobs (50% of our tasking). So the grand plan doesn't seem very joined up right from the outset does it?
SARREMF - I think the going to war comment has always been true even though you and I joined when the threat was from the Russian Hordes - you didn't go SH and, apart from NI, nor did I.
We would both have fought had we been asked to but spent the rest of the time rescuing people, it didn't make us less military.
Joining up to defend your country is one thing - joining up to exercise flawed foreign policy is another - if that is all we offer people, they won't join.
Yes the mil thread is bollo*ks but at some point there will be questions asked about the military paying for so much of SARH. A new building here and there won't compensate for the disparity in funding. I know it all comes out of the same big pot of public money in the end but using MoD budget for 'non-core' business doesn't seem to fit the dogma that we are constantly being fed from above.