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The President as Commander in Chief: The Sword and the Purse (Part 2) |
Under the Articles of Confederation, all war power was vested in a Congress and the United States lacked a formal executive. This arrangement proved unworkable as America’s foreign policy and defense, deprived of executive guidance, floundered. Recognizing the need for an executive to act with swiftness and dispatch in response to foreign threats, the Framers of the Constitution vested the President with full “executive power” and entrusted him, as commander in chief, with paramount authority for national security. The President therefore has ultimate discretion over the deployment of soldiers and nearly all aspects of the conduct of war—including the initiation of hostilities. Ever mindful of the dangers of unfettered powers, the Framers were careful to empower Congress to check the President by controlling the funding of the military. Congress also possesses the exclusive power to declare war (see Part 1) and to regulate the military. This essay is adapted from The Heritage Guide to the Constitution for a new series providing constitutional guidance for lawmakers.
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