How do Italy and Spain run their smaller Harrier fleets? I know that have a support MOU with the US, but there must be more to it? To resolve the issue would have required real out of the box thinking, and looking at lessons from our allies?
Perhaps it is worth taking a look at Italian and Spanish operational commitments and comparing them to the UK. As to the rest, I cannot fill on your question marks without making lots of assumptions and invoking the razor.
What about the comments of Bismark, Not_a_boffin, and many others?
Not a Boffin provides balanced comments on the Thin Pin Stripe blog and is well worth a read. As for the "many others" I have no idea of who they are or their credentials. However, it does appear to be a Group with a dark blue slant on life, while the planners had to provide an round defence capability.
There were 3 problems to be faced when the decision was taken, money, money and money and the aim was to maintain defence commitments within budget. As far as I can see they have been met. Would they have been met if wargoing numbers had been cut to maintain harrier at sea? Any answer would have to be speculative but the Thin Pin Strip blog remains the best critique that I have seen.
Can an outsider be prone to Groupthink?
You are inside a forum with Bismark, Not_a_boffin, and many others, why not?