Supply and Demand
While the RAF has a small number of interesting overseas assignments and the number of willing participants is greater than assignments available, the RAF can ratchet down the benefits until such a time as supply = demand. I was on the end of a sharp LOA decrease - did that stop my successor coming out? absolutely not, he took full advantage of the travel and social opportunities available in the foreign country irrespective of the personal and career costs. As long as people are still queuing up to go, the benefits will continue to fall.
H