Jimlad, tuc, Capt Pugwash, I'm afraid that your pearls of wisdom are cast before blind bigotry here. "Uniforms Good, Suits Bad!", seems to be the perceived wisdom prevailing, culminating in this notable example of the genre:-
My particular trade was MPA, we were globally regarded as the best only two years ago. Now apart from a select few scattered around other nations or wiping other fleets arses we have all been Binned.
The majority of the blame for the demise of this capability falls at the feet of CSs( high up the food chain I agree) and a certain Civilian Defense contractor.
As an outcome of an initiative taken back in 1987 it was a long time coming, I'll admit, but the initiative was dreamt up, formulated and executed with a brutal thoroughness that only a military mind could contemplate. The complete emasculation of a highly trained, qualified and experienced technical Staff is a tall order, yet that is exactly what that initiative has achieved. It may have taken nearly three decades to come to fruition but it will take an eternity to put right again.
My apologies though, I seem to have interrupted the harmless banter...