GrahamO,
Quite, and that is why I infer that senior heads will enentually roll. Senior Commanders need skills quite different from those necessary in their early career. In wartime they may need to be warriors, but in peacetime they need the skills of CEOs, with specialists supporting them. Perhaps to attain G/Cpt, an MBA should be mandatory?
One of the themes running through this thread is an acceptance of the status quo, even a clinging to the heretofore. Duncan Sandys predicted unmanned aircraft in 1957: his timing was wrong, but it seems his vision was correct. The CAS needs in part to be concentrating on what the RAF will look like in 10, 20, 30 years time and planning for that.