orca
I have always thought it strange that no review or study - be it SDSR or a 'value stream analysis' ...... is ever followed by a ticking off of the previous regime.
Even though occasionally I may seem slightly critical, this is a difficult one. One seldom knows what boundaries and constraints the previous staffs were working under. With Servicemen usually on 2-3 year tours, it was almost always the civil servants who had this deeper understanding as it was they who provided continuity (and, kept the records/evidence!). This is no longer the case.
Most people act in a way they think best. There is a reluctance to criticise and in general I agree with that. The notable exceptions (in my opinion) are the decisions/policies made with personal gain in mind. The concealing of waste by the unnecessary slashing of airworthiness budgets is the one I always cite. I firmly believe this was carried out by one VSO (AMSO / RAF Chief Engineer in 1991-94) to conceal the incompetence of his AMSO predecessors. This unholy alliance continues to this day, with all of them continuing to protect each others’ backs and support each other; for example, against the MoK pilots who were scapegoated to conceal this incompetence. When considering most of the really major screw ups over the last 20 odd years, you need look no further than the MoK case and the VSOs who stood against the pilots.
These same people are also meant to apply “management oversight” and it is at THAT level we should always look, not some junior Gp Capt or Wg Cdr.
We moan and groan about relatively minor organisational issues, but the real biggies are the many examples of avoidable loss of life, caused by sacrificing safety to make savings, in order to conceal waste. (This last bit, to conceal waste, is what Haddon-Cave omitted; whoever prompted THAT omission is the kind of person you are talking about. And, as the 2i/c of the MAA must have been party to this.......). At 2 Star level and above, Chinook (MoK and Mk3), Nimrod (XV230 and MRA4), Tornado/Patriot, C130 XV179 and others can be narrowed down to THE SAME small cadre. We know their names; they wrote to the press often enough. Very few understand the fact it is only a relative few. Not one has ever been called to account. All you can say is one of them at least had the balls (more likely arrogance!) to post here openly denigrating the MoK pilots; although it will be remembered he never actually answered a question!