Baffman, I wouldn’t contemplate for one moment not "allowing" anyone to belong to any organisation they pleased, as if I could anyway! My concern is for the well being of the UK Armed Forces, and the RAF in particular. Your concern, presumably, is for the well being of the members of the Armed Forces, and those of BAFF in particular. I don't think those two concerns are necessarily synonymous. In my time in the mob I saw time and time again commanders going out on a limb for their subordinates' welfare. I understand from this forum that is a very rare event these days. Hence you would say the need for BAFF. Hence I would say return the powers of subordinate commanders. On another thread the scandalous neglect of UK Military Airworthiness has been revealed layer by layer. No-one would suggest a reaction to that by saying we'll never regain the old standards. We have to, and just as importantly we have to regain the prestige and powers of junior commanders. At best BAFF is a sticking plaster answer to that deficiency, at worst a blanket that will smother that ambition. The chain of command is bust and needs fixing, not bypassing.