orgASMic:-
why does the DG need to be a civvy?
I'm afraid that the betrayal in the late 80s/early 90s by certain VSOs of their duty, by issuing illegal orders to suborn the Airworthiness Regulations and by sacking those who would not comply, make that quite impossible because those who did comply (thus acting contrary to Military Law) have never been punished for it. In contrast those who did not comply have suffered greatly, much as Running In describes. You either learn the lessons of history or you are doomed to repeat them.
I would guess that the RNLAF has not so been betrayed by its High Command. That is its good fortune. The RAF that I served in was not thus betrayed, as far as I know. That is my good fortune. All that changed post 1987, and that is the reason that we must ensure that it must never happen again. If the MAA DG is civilian, it shouldn't, providing the MAA is outwith the MOD.
I cannot comment about the moral fibre of the present RAF leadership, for that is the business of the RAF, though it is sad to think that it could be wanting. Flight Safety though is my business, I was told that when I served and I still believe it to be true