I appreciate that they're in charge and hardly likely to vote themselves into redundancy, but when are we going to see a cull of senior ranks.
The latest Hansard I can find will tell you that the RAF employs over 1200 Wg Cdrs and 300 plus Group Captains. Without wanting to sound blunt; WTF? One in every 30 people is a Wg Cdr or above?!?
Seriously, you want to save costs? This is a force that can deploy (much) less than 100 fixed wing fast air. When's it going to start acting like it?
And before the band wagon gets going, I think that I'm right in saying that the RN employs 900 Cdrs, 260 captains and almost 100 one stars...seriously? These figures need to be cut by half, haven't they?
I suggest the SDR comes up with a quota system. The crabs are allowed one OF-5 per squadron, the fishheads are allowed one 1-star per surface combatant, the rest falls out in a 3:1 ratio up and down the ranks...that'll fix it. I reckon that'll give the RN siro 40 Cdres, 120 Captains, 360 Cdrs, etc etc. The RAF will be a little bigger, and the Israelis would still think us top heavy.
I have no idea about the pongos, but they are reputed to be the only officer corps actually over manned at the moment..