I have the utmost respect for the Admiral,and undoubtedly he has inherited an HQ that has no real say/clout (Land ensure its future through funding tanks and guns, Strike the same with zoomie things and the true blue Fisheads with the sacred cow of the CVF/JCA).
So instantly JHC has no teeth or any real 'protection', especially when handed to previous JHC Commanders that look for promotion rather than morale courage.
I am sure that the Admiral's team have already put forward and staffed a requirement for a dedicated recovery capability. But as we all know with the current environment and
PR massacre that defence will have to wait until after the election and then even longer for the 'new' Defence Review.
Until that time no money, funding, resources or requirements are going anywhere and this risk I am sure has been fully communicated to the MoD.
At best all we can try and do is join the frantic scrabble for resources for UORs etc, at worst we can all shuffle paper pretending to do something, but in reality all knowing that no one is going to make a decision until after the post election Defence Review.
The Admiral knows this and was used as the media sacrificial lamb because the Politicians and top brass were trying their hardest to distance themselves as far as possible from this incident.
I really do hope that we do invest in a proper recovery capability as there is nothing worst then flying into a job knowing that you are not the best crew/aircraft for the task, but equally knowing that there is nothing else in the 'tool box' or 'golf bag' to use to satisfy the golden hour.
This is resource intensive, but I do not think it requires a shiney new Dauphin or A109 or whatever and personally I believe that this capability could come from either the Merlin or Sea King Fleet. The cost is in the training and the readiness levels (and in removing scarce SH assets from other pure lift tasks). Wide and varied environmental training, guaranteed peacetime flying rates and working with a dedicated ground party (protection party and specialists - EOD/Medics etc).
This cannot be too much to ask when we are fighting such bloody battles with high casualty rates......can it?