It is a good investment. 3 million a year is peanuts to keep the skills of those personnel current whilst we work out what our plans are mpa wise.
There are 4 pilots in the pool in the USA alone. What does a pilot cost to train today? If we were doing so......
The maritime skills are perishable. Quickly perishable. If we buy off the shelf, these guys are the - wait for it - 'seed corn' that the new fleet will be built around in the near future. If it is to be the P8, they are involved in development of the aircraft - that's their role.
And if it all goes wrong and we get nothing, so what? We'll have gambled pennies for a few years and the personnel with a broadened skill set can move on elsewhere.
All the other boys and girls from isk have run away, mostly out, and are doing very well by all accounts. There aren't many maritime experts left, and we may need them in a few years.