There was an all hands call with SecDef a few months ago. The four TLBs are now CDS, PUS, Chief of Defence Nuclear, and National Armaments Director.
I think this covers the same or similar content.
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So much hate on social media (could just put a full stop there, and the statement would be factually correct) that CAS (and soon to be CDS) isnāt a pilot, and no campaign medals.
An engineers mentality is needed to fix our UK defence.
But, not being a pilotā¦ anyone remember the old RAF adverts?
āYou donāt have to be a pilot, to fly in the RAF!ā
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But it helpsā¦ 
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Silver Winged Master race
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Iām sorry to say thereās an Army mentality that experience gained from deploying on ops is somehow relevant above the tactical level.
His experience as CAS and his senior command appointments before that will be far more relevant to him as CDS than a few TELIC / HERRICK / SHADER tours.
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I could also argue that some of the worst experiences of management/leadership which I have experienced have been from senior officers elevated from the winged master race. One of my colleagues was a pilot, changed role to a ground trade after enjoying a non-flying tour because he wasnāt āsurrounded by a bunch of arrogant ****sā.
I suspect our organisational decline is inversely proportionate to the amount of commandants and RCs that arenāt pilots though.
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I donāt doubt that the air cadets has suffered from having a series of questionable adminners in charge at various levels, although we do need a range of experience and not just the winged master race.
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Not sure if itās the trade or having 3 empty uniforms in a row that was the issue.
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It could be either, as we did have separate trades (admin and engineering). The point was the pilots we had at least understood the need for excitement and adventure. The others do not.
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I think it depends on the engineer specialism.
Systems engineers are about the flow, civil are about practicality, computers are about logic flow & yes/no answers, avonic are able are about predictability & precision.
Avionics are about playing Uckers, while the riggers do the workā¦ #banter
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and building targets
Adminners take control
Adminners introduce admin
Adminners complain about admin
Adminners go sick with stress
Adminners quit
Activity stops
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It is a little odd that he avoided requirements forā¦
Gulf 1
Gulf 2
Afghanistan
A nato medal
Anything.
You would have thought that even as an engineer he would have deployed on active serviceā¦ once in his career?!
Doesnt rule him out in my book.
Just marks it as odd.
Cant be many with his length of service across all the services with not a single campaign medal.
It all depends. He was a fast jet engineer and they donāt deploy forward (Cyprus or Poland are as forward as the sqns get), whereas I know rotary wing engineers with three rows of medal ribbons: because they are generally in-country on deployed ops.
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I did 24 years and all of my 3 OOA deployments were to the Falklands - so no campaign medals. Also, anyone posted to Cyprus for Gulf 2 did not get the medal - you only got it if you were deployed there. So, there are valid reasons for not having campaign medals, despite being deployed on OOA Ops and being involved in campaigns.
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In addition, I know plenty of people with campaign and other (harder to get) medals who hold Sir Rich in high regard.
Instead of looking at why CAS has no campaign medals, try and find out he was doing behind
the scenes to make things happen 
SEngO on 1 Sqn for Kosovo, yea but in Italy, and he stayed with Harrier until itās demise in 2010 as Stn Cdr RAF Wittering
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Well, I do know for sure that he was out in Al Udeid for at least one spell. But if you canāt be bothered to do your research on what his postngs have been, this would give you the answers.
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