Capt Homesick - it appears that you have some information that could help me to understand BALPA's point of view. Do you have an example of the planned task you refer to with crew duty times? Is this a detailed plan made by the MOD or did they merely charter a number of aircraft and crews and leave the company to make the detailed plan? What would be the frequency of these trips for an individual crew? Why could crew changes not be made outbound at Larnaca/Akrotiri or another suitable airfield?
Given the above information I might begin to see if BALPA have a valid point.