PN
There is no need to counter my argument. I expressed an opinion and I entirely agree with the point you make in your particular case. It is only natural that we each cite personal experiences.
I believe much of MoD's incompetence stems from poor leadership by the protected species. For example, the RAF Chief Engineer's 1991 decision that all Admin staff shall be treated as senior to any Engineer. Ask any RAF SENGO how his morale would suffer if an Admin Pilot Officer was made his line manager; and that PO had engineering delegation and was allowed to overrule the SENGO on engineering and safety decisions! That is precisely what MoD staff had to deal with in the early 90s. That ruling, while on paper overturned, set a tone that remains to this day. The successors to those early 90s civilian Engineers are mostly competent in their own field, but completely out of their depth when granted, for example, airworthiness delegation. (And worse, being allowed to self delegate). That act is at the root of a number of fatal accidents. Those who condone it should be in gaol, not praised by H-C.
There is a big difference between someone who is incompetent yet does his best, and someone who knowingly commits fraud on a vast scale, then seeks to hide it by slashing other budgets so the overall books "balance". In the case I quote (AMSO's deliberate waste of the late 80s/90s, which is at the root of current deficits), why not simply stop the waste? But that would make public the root problem. A conscious decision was made NOT to stop the waste, and civil servants who tried to were threatened with dismissal. What morale do you think remained after that?
I think we speak from the same page, just from a different perspective.
The worst CS in Air Staffs (in my experience)? The one who, in late 1990, refused to endorse expenditure to get the 3rd Nimrod R flying, because he "hadn't received a letter from the Prime Minister telling (me) we were going to war". I had to let 39 contracts on a handshake, promising to cough up after the event. Every company worked for nothing and delivered on time. He was praised, I was vilified. Rumour has it he was personally decorated by Saddam for his contribution to the war effort. From what you say, there are a lot like him!
Regards