The President is commander in chief of the Army, Navy, and state militias when called into federal service. Civilian control of the military is built into the office: the top of every chain of command is an elected civilian.
Read the clause itself, verbatim and in plain language, in the in-app Constitution.
The President
The President directs military operations, but Congress declares war, funds the forces (on two-year appropriationA law permitting federal agencies to spend money. The Constitution forbids any spending without one, Congress's 'power of the purse'.Full definition in the glossary at most), and writes military law. The modern boundary runs through AUMFs and the War Powers Resolution's 60-day clock. The deepest cases (Youngstown, 1952) unanimous consentDoing business by universal agreement instead of votes. Most Senate floor action happens this way, which is why a single objecting senator has real power.Full definition in the glossary that even in wartime the commander-in-chief power does not swallow domestic lawmaking.
