why is the president the head of the military?

Answer 1

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's
military forces or significant element of those forces.

In 1867 Congress attempted to limit the President's powers as Commander in Chief by passing the Army Appropriations Act. The Act included the “command of the army” provisions, which required that the president issue all commands to the army through the General of the Army. This act was condemned by President Andrew Johnson, but he nevertheless signed it into law.

In the United States, the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 added a new level of commanders-in-chief (CINCs). Under Goldwater-Nichols, regional CINCs were created to bring a local supreme commander to a conflict, the most well-known of which was CINC CENTCOM, who was Norman Schwarzkopf during Operation Desert Storm.

On October 24, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced that the title of "Commander-in-Chief" would thereafter be reserved for the President, consistent with the terms of Article II of the United States Constitution. Armed forces CINCs in specified regions would thereafter be known as "combatant commanders," heading the Unified Combatant Commands.

As of May 2006, there are nine Unified Combatant Commands. Five have regional responsibilities, and four have functional responsibilities. The chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may transmit communications to the Commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands from the President and Secretary of Defense, but does not exercise military command over any combatant forces.

Authority as Commander-in-Chief on the battlefield
As Commander-in-Chief, the U.S. President outranks any military officer and so has the inherent right to assume command on the battlefield. However, because presidents are rarely present in war zones, and often have less military experience than the military commanders, only two presidents, George Washington and James Madison, have so far done so.

Bush says he's "the decider".

Answer 2

D C that may be true.. but the President can also station troops for limited amounts of time without congressional approval.

In the end, he is the leader but has to answer to a board (congress)... it's like the CEO of a company.. you give one man a lot of power so you can get things done quickly.. but you have a full board with more power than him to keep his decisions in check. So, his power over the military is a part of the checks and balances in our system of government.

Answer 3

The President is NOT head of the military, Congress is. The War Powers Act deligates authority of Congressional War Powers to the President. However, it does not delegate Responsibility, they are still responsible for the Presidents decisions.

Answer 4

The military is the "might" of our nation. The president is the leader of our nation. It's just that simple.

Everybody inbetween is checks and balances.

Answer 5

Why do people ask questions of this President that they would never ask of the previous one? If one does not like this President, then elect another one. That is no reason to question the very blueprint of this nation.

Answer 6

I think that Congress needs to reestablish itself as the official war-maker, and in the face of public opposition to the quagmire in Iraq, our Congressmen and women need to brave up and put an end to this war, and stop supporting big businesses.

Answer 7

He's commander in Chief