So between spending 7 months out of every 15 in sandy places on PDT or Ops, I now have to conduct my AT in these 'relevant' sandy areas?
I find it difficult to reconcile this question. If you are spending 7 out of 15 months on ops, why do you need to go abroad at taxpayers expense to learn leadership, or increase your confidence?
Surely ops affords the same opportunities as AT in regard to personal development.
I may be wrong, but your question leads me to believe that:
A. All the previous blah given as justification for AT is bolleaux, and you just wish to go skiing/parachuting etc overseas at the taxpayers expense, at a time when it is unaffordable.....
or
B. You need to get out more whilst on ops.
I appreciate that AT is a good thing, and ideal when there are no ops on which to develop yourself. However, the sandy place provides plenty of challenges, and the economic climate is such that these nice to haves will have to go to pay for the essentials.