Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced "sink") is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ...

While well-known Commanders-in-Chief often have been senior generals, many countries have the rule that the Head of State is Commander-in-Chief in times of peace. Historically, the term "commander-in-chief" was first used by Charles I of England in 1639. Colonial governors in the future United States used the title. General is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. ... A head of state or chief of state is the chief public representative of a nation-state, federation or commonwealth, whose role generally includes personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers, functions and duties granted to the head of state in the countrys... Charles I ( 19 November 1600– 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625, until his death. ...

During times of war, national governments often establish regionally-based Commanders in Chief to deal with a particular theater of war. Though subsidiary to the national Commander in Chief, such local-level Commanders in Chief usually have full decision-making authority in order to improve efficiency during war.

Democratic monarchies, Commonwealth

In democratic monarchies, the King or Queen is the symbolic Commander-in-Chief, though the active authority is exercised by the Prime Minister and the subordinate defense ministers. In a few Commonwealth Realms, Commander-in-Chief is the Governor General (though they perform this role in the Queen's name), while in colonies the Commander-in-Chief is the leader of the colonial power. In France, the President of the Republic has a title of Chef des Armées ("Commander of the Armies"), which is a legacy of the monarchy. For related meanings see also Monarch (disambiguation) A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, one, and archein, to rule) is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. ... A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state. ... A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state. ... A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or semi-presidential system whose duty is to execute the directives of the President and... A defence minister (Commonwealth English) or defense minister (American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ... A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states of the Commonwealth that recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their Queen and head of state. ... Governor-General (or Governor General) is a term used both historically and currently to designate the appointed representative of a head of state or their government for a particular territory, historically in a colonial context, but no longer necessarily in that form. ... In politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a geographically-distinct state (or city, in ancient times). ...

Before 1948 the Commander-in-Chief in India reported to the civilian Governor-General of India since independence the duties of the two posts were merged into a single office, the President of India, who in turn reports to the government of the Republic of India. This model has been emulated by most other Commonwealth republics. This article is in need of attention. ... The Governor-General of India (or Governor-General and Viceroy of India) was the head of the British administration in India. ... The President of India is the ceremonial head of state of India and the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces. ... The English noun Commonwealth dates originally from the fifteenth century and in different contexts indicates one of: a nation, state or political unit a state founded on law by agreement of the people for the common good a republic a federated union of constituent states. ...

France

In France, the President of the Republic holds the title of "Chef des Armées" ("Chief of the Armies"). He is the supreme authority for military affairs, and is the only competent authority for the use of nuclear power.

Since the reign of Louis XIV France has been strongly centralized. After crushing local nobles engaged in warlordism, the Kings of France retained all authority ("Droit Divin", "divine authority") with the help of able yet discreet Prime ministers (Mazarin, Richelieu). Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... Cardinal Jules Mazarin, French diplomat and statesman Jules Mazarin, born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino; but best known as Cardinal Mazarin (July 14, 1602 – March 9, 1661) served as the chief minister of France from 1642, until his death. ... For other uses of Richelieu, see Richelieu (disambiguation). ...

The 1789 Revolution transferred the supreme authority to the King (in the context of the short-lived constitutional Monarchy), then to the multi-member Comité de Salut Public during the Convention, and later to the Directoire, before being regained in the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte alone.

The Restauration restored authority of the King, in an absolute, then constitutional way before being overthrown by the Second Empire. The following Third Republic was a parliamentary system, where the military authority was held by the President of the Council (Prime Minister).

During World War II, Marechal Pétain usurped power and held the supreme authority. The following and short-lived Fourth Republic was a parliamentary system, which was replaced by the Fifth Republic, a semi-presidential system. The semi-presidential system is a system of government that features both a prime minister and a president who are active participants in the day to day functioning of government. ...

Switzerland

In a time of declared war or national emergency, the Federal Council appoints a General (in normal conditions, Swiss general officers hold the title of "colonel"). The General acts as the highest military authority, but is subordinate to the Federal Council, which holds the supreme authority. The Swiss Federal Council (in German: Bundesrat, in French: Conseil fédéral, in Italian: Consiglio federale, in Romansh: Cussegl Federal) is the seven-member executive council which collectively assumes the office of head of state equivalent to that of a president or of a monarch in the government of...

Four Swiss generals were appointed in its history, General Henri Dufour during the Swiss Civil War, General Hans Herzog during the Franco-Prussian_War, General Ulrich Wille during the First World War, and General Henri Guisan during the Second World War ("la Mob", "the Mobilisation"). Although Switzerland remained neutral during the latter three conflicts, the threat of having its territory used as a battlefield by the much bigger war parties of Germany and France required mobilization of the army. Categories: People stubs | 1787 births | 1875 deaths | Swiss generals | Swiss cartographers ... The Sonderbund (meaning separate alliance, in German), was a league created in 1845 in Switzerland between seven Catholic and Conservative cantons in order to protect their interests against a centralization of power. ... The Franco-Prussian War (July 19, 1870 – May 10, 1871) was fought between France and Prussia (backed by the North German Confederation) allied with the south German states of Baden, Bavaria and Württemberg. ... Henri Guisan ( 21 October 1874 - 8 April 1960) was the most recent General of the Swiss army, as Commander in Chief during World War 2. ... Mobilization (or mobilisation in British English) is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. ...

In normal times, military units can be dispatched for peace-keeping or disaster response by the Federal Council.

USA

The Constitution of the United States gives the title to the President of the United States, who "shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States" (See the 1941 Declarations of War[1] (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/dec/decmenu.htm) against Japan and Germany for how this call is made). Page I of the Constitution of the United States of America Page II of the United States Constitution Page III of the United States Constitution Page IV of the United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America and is... President of the United States - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

In the United States, the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization act of 1986 added a new level of CINC. Under Goldwater-Nichols regional CINCs were created to bring a local supreme commander to a conflict. The most well known of which is CINC CENTCOM, who was Norman Schwarzkopf during Operation Desert Storm. Emblem of the United States Central Command. ... Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. ...

Commander-in-Chief reserved for the President

On October 24, 2002, the U.S. Secretary of Defense announced that the title of Commander-in-Chief would be reserved for the President, and that armed forces CINCs would shorten their title to "commander." They are typically referred to as combatant commanders, heading what are now know as combatant commands. The title has taken on prominent importance in the political debate in the United States in the context of the "War against Terrorism" [2] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16750-2004Sep12.html). Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ...

Political implications

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the declaration of the War on Terror, American media has increasingly referred to the President as the "Commander-in-Chief", even in civil affairs. In the discourses of opponents, this is often done when discussing the restriction of civil rights, such as with the Patriot Act, suggesting a comparison between the President and the military leaders of dictatorial countries; but ambiguous statements are also regularly featured in statements of personalities favorable to the Bush administration, in such a way as to suggest a Commander in Chief of the USA themselves: The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks carried out in the United States on September 11, 2001. ... The twin towers, photographed from the west The World Trade Center in New York City was a complex of seven buildings around a central plaza, near the south end of Manhattan in the downtown financial district. ... The War on terrorism or War on terror is a global effort by the governments of several countries (primarily the United States and its principal allies) to neutralize international groups it deems as terrorist (primarily radical Islamist terrorist groups, including al-Qaida) and insure rogue nations no longer support terrorist... This article needs cleanup. ...

• "A political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your commander in chief when it comes to your security." (Good illustration, since the "Commander in Chief" part of the presidential charge always comes to security, this somehow implies that the "commander in chief" has taken over other parts of the presidency -- Bush campaign line, cited by John F. Kerry [3] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/election.main/index.html))

• "No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home." ?Zell Miller, see 2004 Republican National Convention