[Rokke]

"The type of approach used is determined by Air Traffic Control, not the pilots. The pilot can ask for a specific approach, but the ATC has the final say."

But DoD pilots are not authorized to fly approaches that haven't been previously approved by the DoD. That was the case here. It didn't matter what ATC cleared them to do. They weren't authorized to shoot the approach in the first place.

[expatpat]

Pilots succumb to "get there" pressure all the time, and this plane had a lot of VIPs on board, adding to that pressure.