Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

Which answers are accepted?

What does the answer mean?

Commander in Chief is a title that comes with the job of President. It puts the President at the top of the chain of command, above every general and admiral. The Army, the Navy and the other services all answer, in the end, to one person.

The role has limits. Congress holds the power to declare war and to raise and support the armed forces, so the two branches share control of the military. Both lists accept the same short answer: the President.

Why does USCIS ask it?

USCIS asks this to see that you know who leads the military, which is one of the best known powers of the President. It sits among the questions about what the President does, alongside signing bills and appointing federal judges.

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution makes the President Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. It also makes the President Commander in Chief of the state militias when they are called into the service of the United States. Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power to declare war.

How the officer asks it

The officer asks who the Commander in Chief is, and one short phrase is enough: the President. You do not need a name, because the answer is the office and not a person. Say those two words once, clearly, then find them among the rows in the check on this page.

What are the common wrong answers?

Each of these leads something important, but none of them sits at the very top of the military.

• The Secretary of Defense. This official leads a department and works for the President, who is above that office.
• The Speaker of the House. The Speaker leads the House of Representatives, which is part of Congress and not part of the military.
• The Chief Justice. The Chief Justice leads the Supreme Court. Courts decide cases, and they do not command troops.

How can I remember it?

Think of a ladder of ranks that ends in a civilian. Every uniform is on a lower rung, and the top rung is the elected President. Chief means the top, and the top is the President.

Which questions are related?

• Who signs bills to become laws?The President signs a bill that Congress has approved, which makes it a law, or refuses it with a veto.
• What does the President’s Cabinet do?The Cabinet is the group of senior advisers to the President, mostly the leaders of the executive departments.
• What are two Cabinet-level positions?Two jobs from the long list of Cabinet-level positions, such as Attorney General or Secretary of State.
• What does the judicial branch do?The courts: explaining laws, reviewing them, settling disputes and checking them against the Constitution.

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