The FO was an ex-air force guy.
Given the Captain's age, and flight hours, he was 99% likely to be an ex air force guy as well.
Now, you don't touch to the controls when your senior take over the contols, period.
That's why he couldn't itervene. His hands were tied.
This isn't the first ocurance of a this kind of accident in TK's history, and it won't be the last.