Wrath,
I thought it might help if I rejoined here.
Yes, there has undoubtedly been 'rank creep' - the phenomenon where decisions that were safe and efficiently taken at (for instance) SO2 level have now migrated up to Cdre or even two star. As well as justifying the larger number of senior posts with the resultant costs, this also leads to poorer and slower decision making, as orca has pointed out.
There's another aspect that i can personally testify to - and that has been the growth of officer numbers under the banner of 'jointery'. My own branch (RN Air Engineers) faced a huge challenge in the late 90s/early noughties to generate nearly 30 additional SO2 posts to feed the demands of JHC and JFH. To reiterate, not one more aircraft was in service, not one more sortie flown, but nearly 30 additional SO2s to 'manage' it. Oh, and a brace of SO1s as well. And Captains. And Commodores. And to my shame, I was complicit in it.
When JFH was set up, there was a deliberate decision to 'expand' the HQ staff numbers required to support the Sea Harrier fleet. Various reasons were given, including 'we're following best practice' to 'we want parity with the other Groups' to 'it helps build the officer corps'. The costs involved were never once considered. The only defence I can offer, and it's a poor one, is that I joined the team after the staffing levels were decided. My job was to invent new things for the additional bodies to do.
And thats what all bureaucracies that don't have to worry about cost do - they invent work to justify numbers. That's why all those senior officers are so busy. I could cite some simply awful examples of 'rank creep' from High Wycombe, but won't - I'm sure that all three Services and the CS could offer up similar idiocies.
However, try this one. I worked in DGA(N) in the 90s, when over 300 technical desks were supported by a highly efficient and well organised thing called a 'registry'. Younger readers won't know what that is - it was a team of admin clerks, overseen by one admin officer, who made sure that every piece of paper coming in and out was filed, every file (or 'pack') was kept up to date, and that all the information was readily available to the desk officers. Airworthiness files were subjected to special additional controls, befitting their importance. DGA(N)'s registry was eight strong.
In my last spell in DE&S, a PT of around 90 desk officers was now supported by a 'Business Management' team of around 12, almost all of who were 'admin officer' grades. The head of BM was now a very senior CS (SO1 equivalent). They did no filing (desk officers now had to do that), kept no records, and as a result the PT's filing systems, including airworthiness files, was a thoroughgoing mess.
You join up the dots.
I don't subscribe to the 'it's all rubbish nowadays' view - the staffs are full of exceptionally good officers all doing their best to keep up. But the system needs a thorough 'reset' and 'realign' to get decisions down to the lowest practicable level, and to remove the accumulation of garbage that staff officers are being exposed to. It's making our armed services unaffordable.
How to get there - that's one for the staff.
Best Regards as ever to those shovelling the paperwork
Engines