[IronDuke99]

Here is one possible parallel: The Royal Navy has, for years now, been against Corvettes, or even highly capable Patrol ships, because senior Admirals worry that political types will then try replacing real Frigates and Destroyers with such (much cheaper) ships, that in a major war can do no more than get sunk bravely.

I really worry that 8x8 medium armour, including 8x8 medium armour mounting a big gun, will be equated by political types as really much the same as modern Infantry Fighting Vehicles and MBT's, with unhealthy results for the men manning them.

99% of modern political types are really deeply ignorant of the military. For example Tony Blair, on becoming PM was honestly -according to himself- convinced that the UK had several thousand SAS soldiers despite having been an MP for many years and leader of his party for several.