I think in this instance it comes down to cost and requisite timelines - the decision to use HOTAC for ELLAMY was not a decision made by the crews, that's for sure. Before they had left the UK, teams from higher agencies had scoped the tasking and, in the required budget and timeframe, HOTAC was the only option.
There are many reasons why this is the case, mostly down to all of Defence being stretched in HERRICK and being cut too far. The Air Transport, MCSU and other support elements required to deploy and support this op were simply not available without cutting down the footprint to the absolute minimum.
Yes, in an ideal world we can have Plan A in the draw ready to action and deploy for a small- to medium-scale op in toto. But we need to face facts that we can't fully deploy Plan A for something the size of ELLAMY alongside a commitment the size of HERRICK on so many levels.
It's too easy to sling the mud. And yes, over the years many crews have portrayed an overly princessish neediness (sometimes justified, sometimes not). We all do what we do and,ultimately, we'll all do it however we're told but am I the only one who finds this particular line of bickering nothing but toxic?
