Foreign policy & defense
Commander in Chief
The President's constitutional role at the head of the armed forces. It governs how force is used, while Congress holds the power to declare war and to fund it.
In full
The clause makes civilian control of the military a constitutional principle and gives the President tactical command. Its outer limits are contested: presidents have read it to permit military action without prior authorization, while Congress has asserted its declare-war and appropriations powers. The practical settlement has usually been reached through funding rather than through courts.
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.