You do seem to want to make a mountain out of a molehill, ShotOne.
I don't have any beef at all with ATrS or Thos Cook - if people want to fly civilian aircraft in civilian operation with them, very good luck to them.
It's the civilian-in-uniform concept with which I do take exception - the so-called 'full time reservist' policy. Not with the individuals themselves, of course, but with the concept of using civilians for military aircrew tasks.
The UK would be able to deploy its personnel without ATrS or Thos Cook involvement - it would just be rather more expensive.
And if PFI / FTRS is such a smart idea, why do no other NATO members adopt it?