Everyone says there are correct procedures re a grievance etc, but be honest, if these guys went over their heads and complained what would have happened..... Probably not a lot, and then they would be stuck under the snit storm that would come down on them from those they had gone over.
What could you say, we believe they are unfit to command us? They slept while we did the exercise?
Far from saying it is all their doing and punishing them, the Army really needs to take a breadth, stand back, see what's gone wrong and fix it, the problem does not go away because you jail the perpetrators, because that simply means the problem has been swept under the carpet and still exists... Next time it may not be in a rural UK setting.
As said, you get some seriously bad officers both commissioned and not, I had the privilege to serve under one during my time and I wouldn't wish him on anyone, I wouldn't have let him mop the toilet floor let alone serve as an engineering officer... Don't get me wrong some if not most I worked with were superb, this guy simply was out of his depth and was clueless, unfortunately he was carried by those under him and looked good to those above him... I later heard he had a run in.