However, I still think you are intentionally avoiding the real issue of overall national strategy, which is the result of the national level command structure. Yes both Haditha and Abu Ghraib had strategic impact, but neither were part of a strategy.
Bill thanks for the comments and especially your time. I do not agree I am avoiding the issue...lol…with this many postings in this short period of time I think I have demonstrated engagement by trying to explain my argument. Yes, I agree, we need and we are not getting a national strategy. What I cannot see is how changing the military command structure will correct the deficiency. The current system with it current deficiencies could produce a national military strategy if the chairman wanted to step up to the plate or if the president told him to create it (of course that assumes the president understands what a national military strategy is).
… the initial planning for OIF and can state confidently there was clearly a strategic planning shortfall for what came after Saddam's regime fell. There was also a period of a few weeks/months after we occupied the major cities in Iraq where the military was largely operationally paralyzed in my opinion because we didn't know what our civilian leadership wanted. Out of necessity individual units started acting on their own, policing the streets, standing up local governments, etc. towards no particular end other than some semblance of stability while our national leadership decided on what next. Is that a failure at the General Officer level, or is the result of not having a national level strategy planning capability above the COCOM?
Yes, it is a failure at the general officer COCOM/CENTCOM level of strategic planning and execution. All of those deficiencies you mention are COCOM/CENTCOM responsibilities that were not fulfilled. Before OIF General Zinnie, as CINCCENT, ran a series of war games called Desert Crossing. Those war games resulted in a number of issues that were ignored and forgotten and they were very same issues we hit after the initial invasion of Iraq. COCOM is set up under the current command structure to avoid those political and strategic mistakes. I don’t see how moving those missed responsibilities to a national command authority would correct those issues. Four stars or five stars….general officers are general officers. We don't need to change the command structure we need to change general officers