VSF (& Cbeef) I don't think it really matters if some senior types in the Dft arrived at Valley and demonstrated their ignorance. It seems to me that the visit was all about improving their understanding and hopefully that's what the visit did. Removing the ignorance of top neddies and civil servants is no bad thing.
I just don't buy this emotive crap about "lives will be lost" etc. Look at the likely winners from who remain in the competition. It's these companies who will actually deliver the service, and 3 of them have clearly demonstrated their ability to do it. This is what matters, not some ignorance shown by top neddies from London! As for the longer term, any of the likely winners have the capacity to set up a training pipeline to meet the gap of no more military leavers, and don't forget one of the beauties of a long term civvy run service is that many who join the service at the start will be there at the end - no 2 to 3 year posting rosta to mess people and experience about!
