Please remember, the “Sins of Generals” letters were written to attack and attack at personal level by challenging something that should be important to generals …their leadership. The letters are an attempt to change their opinion. I also recognize it is an attack upon windmills. Where they support my argument about strategy vs command structure…they point out bad leadership and failure to follow the command structure.

The author claims the investigation was in violation of the intent of the G-N Act. I'm familiar with many cases where individuals were accused of violating regulations or laws while under COCOM authority and their cases were reffered back to their Services for the investigation (with COCOM oversight) and if guilty punishment.
Correct…however, Gen Chiarelli then sends the investigation to the in county MARFOR Commander and he then involves the service lead, the Commandant. Chiarelli did not probably refer the investigation before the Commandant got involved and violated the unified command structure. Yes, he has the right to refer but he must refer through the G-N command structure…after all…it’s the LAW.
Now another argument …and this has never been tested in a court martial (and IMO it is just a matter of time before a lawyer figures this one out) COCOM rests with the Combat Commander and cannot be delegated. G-N specifically provides the COCOM court martial authority. Haditha was clearly a combat action conducted by Marines properly deployed to Iraq with a unified command deployment order. (BTW I believe we cannot say the same for all of the 65 NCIS agents sent to Iraq, probably TAD vs deployment order, to conduct and complete Chiarelli’s investigation.) Do the services have the authority to prosecute actions resulting under COCOM authority when COCOM cannot be delegated? The unwritten leadership rule here is if you have an issue within your command … you handle it.
The battalion commander’s court martial is dismissed because of undue command influence by the I MEF convening authority, General Mattis. The military judge ordered charges against the battalion commander dismissed, citing unlawful command influence. That ruling determined that a legal adviser for the prosecution should not have had any role in the case. The adviser, Col. John Ewers, had investigated each of the accused Marines and was listed as a prosecution witness. The military judge concluded Col Ewers presence at the I MEF meetings with General Mattis overseeing the Haditha cases and prosecutors created an unacceptable perception of unlawful command influence. The short answer here is the lawyers forgot that I MEF and MARFORCENT are two separate commands, one with the traditional service chain of command and the other the unified chain of command. BTW I also think the Commandant forgot about the unified command structure opening him up for undue command influence charges.
The three above items are leadership issues because general officers did not properly use the unified command structure.

I don't think that is a violation of Title 10 since the services are responsible for the morale and discipline of their people.
Or have we not properly integrated Title 18 (War Crimes) into the unified command structure? Sorry, this is a distraction…just could not resist.

The COCOM on the other hand is responsible for conducting operations, and unfortunately by default for developing strategy. This is your field of expertise, not mine…
No offense to JMM here, but don’t do that. This was a leadership issue and not a legal issue…the general’s deferred to the lawyers and got themselves into a real mess. Again JMM …no offense intended here.

Regardless of real motives, and I don't see how this is relevant to the larger "getting strategy" right discussion? What am I missing?
Haditha is a case of “strategic legalism” and that is a symptom of bad strategy and not a bad command structure. The battalion operations and the squad’s tactic were excellent. The general’s strategy??? My opinion is fixing strategy is not a matter of fixing the command structure…it is a matter of fixing strategic leadership.