Jim,
I don't think that anyone on here is seriously suggesting that the SAR job cannot be done by a civilian outfit such as Bristow - certainly I am not.
However, your comment that 'SAR has all but ceased to be a military task' is clearly nonesense, and you know that. If you don't, then you have no concept of how many military aircrew and groundcrew are currently involved in it.
I think that my biggest concern is that we have had Military SAR for God knows how long, and it has worked wonderfully. Yes, the aircarft are getting long in the tooth, but it is testiment to the boys and girls who look after them that they do a fantastic job.
They are underfunded, undermanned and everything else that is bad about our current military funding, but they still get the job done.
In light of that, I make no secret of saying that I would rarther have seen the money being put into Military SAR, which we know has worked for years, rarther than into a modern civilian SAR. After all, why change a winning formula?
I am not questioning the bravery rubbish that has been spouted, nor am I questioning the capabilities even. I simply don't understand why we have now gone for a 100% civilian SAR force with no military (or very very little) involvement when it has worked so well, for so long. i feel it is a step too far.
And whilst your comments about us all paying for it are true, I am cynical enough to believe that HMG will be looking at ways of recovering the costs of SAR call outs, I have no doubt about that.