All good stuff and accurate but my point is - do not have as many SO2 posts and the ones you have, are meaningful.
Things have moved on from the V force and I, with no great opinion as I know many who hover in the useless SO2 post bracket, just think that the cost of too many higher ranks will be frowned upon in the corridors of civilian power.
Gnd, quite. I was just citing the V-force as the point at which it changed and the effect of the change. Other than that things really have not moved on.
Where a leader was a 2nd or 3rd tourist in role an SO2 is as likely to be parachuted in to the job and other than inate ability is no more role experienced as your 1st tourist in role but by virtue of rank is 'the expert'.
The pool is certainly bigger but also shallower. As you as, far more SO2 slots, many of which are not meaningful. OTOH I have seen far more SO3 at Air than used to be the case; SO3 used to be a rarity.