Chugalug 2 and Rigga, I am with you.
Appointing a 3*, who will then recruit his cronies from within into key positions will not provide the independent Authority that H-C envisaged and that most of us see as an imperative.
The new Authority must have senior people who can bring fresh ideas and radical thinking to the new organisation. I can think of many people who were serving in the military (at all levels) when we had an effective and accountable airworthiness chain. They have since gone on to forge successful careers in the commercial aviation sector and thus experienced a different regulatory regime.
Surely we should be looking to these people transfer their skills and experience into a new MAA and not just looking to the MoD to reorganise itself from within?