Tourist,
All balanced and considered response.
I dont agree with all of your points - but between us we have offered 2 )of many) Courses Of Action and options to our lords and masters.....
Now will they stop conducting paralysis by analaysis and making a bl00dy decision, there are lives at stake by their faffing.
If these 2 posts, with 2 differing options are 'missing the big picture' then please will someone tell us what it is! By all means give the Fisheads the Merlins (the logistics/single aircraft fleet should embrace that concept) and give us more CH47 (old HC3s in bound, but lets look at the F (fatties) and join the lengthening queue for that very capable aircraft.
Stop this indecisiveness and look at capability (not only for this war, but also tomorrows war) and lets have some leadership and direction rather than some random posting on this web site.
Once again Tourist, I dont agree with all that you say, but your argument and options is just are as valid as mine.