Pheasant,
A small but important point; ' The Few ' of the Battle of Britain included Fleet Air Arm pilots, among other non-RAF types.
I am pro' both forces, but I agree about the 'ethos' point of the Fleet Air Arm, and was disgusted to see history repeating itself and the FAA being shafted by the RAF for all the wrong reasons.
As for the loss of the Sea Harriers, well it's happened, mainly I suspect because Admirals don't fly, then again if we lose any more hulls they won't sail either !
Still say a few Harrier 2+ with AMRAAM would be extremely worthwhile, and very compatible.
I agree with a relatively small fleet of aircraft & crew all ought to be trained to hopefully the same level in all skills; however if the FAA is given a chance, you might be surprised at the improved recruiting...