Commander-in-chief

A commander-in-chief is the person who has the highest authority over an armed force or a military branch. This role gives the commander-in-chief the power to make important decisions about how the military works. The term "commander-in-chief" is used in many countries, but different places may use other names for this top leader.

In many countries, the commander-in-chief is the head of state or the head of government. This means that leaders like a president or a prime minister might also hold this important military role. However, some countries choose a special government official to be the commander-in-chief instead.

The name for this role changes depending on the language and traditions of the country. For example, in French-speaking countries, they might call this leader the "Chief of armies," while many European countries use the term "Supreme Commander." In the Soviet Union and some countries that were part of it, the title was "Supreme commander-in-chief." Even in places where "commander-in-chief" is not the main title, it might still be used for very important military leaders. For instance, in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the president of Ukraine is the top leader, while another official serves as the professional head of the military.

Definition

The idea of a commander-in-chief comes from old leaders called Imperator in the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire. These leaders had great power over the army.

In English, the word "commander-in-chief" was first used during the English Civil War. Usually, a country's head of state—whether a king, queen, or president—holds this important job, even if someone else actually runs the government. In some places where leaders are chosen by voting, the government still follows what the voting group decides, but they don’t give direct orders to soldiers. Important leaders in places far away, like governors-general, are also often made commander-in-chief for the army in their area.

Heads of state as commanders in chief

Heads of state can be the commander-in-chief of their country's armed forces. This can be a ceremonial role or one with real decision-making power.

Albania

The president of Albania is the commander-in-chief of the Albanian Armed Forces, according to the Constitution of Albania.

Argentina

The Constitution of Argentina states that the president of the Argentine Nation is the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Nation. The Ministry of Defense helps the president manage the armed forces.

Australia

The Constitution of Australia states that the commander-in-chief of the naval and military forces is the Governor-General, who acts for the Queen. In practice, the Australian Cabinet controls the Australian Defence Force, with the minister for defence and other ministers handling daily control.

Austria

The Constitution of Austria states that the president of Austria is the commander-in-chief of the Austrian Armed Forces, with the minister of defence in charge of the army.

Barbados

The Constitution of Barbados names the president of Barbados as commander-in-chief of the Barbados Defense Force. Before 2021, this role was held by the monarch of Barbados.

Bangladesh

The president of Bangladesh is the commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, though the prime minister holds executive power over national defense.

Belarus

The president of Belarus is the commander-in-chief of the Belarusian Armed Forces, with the authority to appoint and dismiss high command.

Belgium

The Constitution of Belgium designates the king as commander-in-chief, though the chief of defence handles daily command under the minister of defence.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The collective presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, acting through the minister of defence in peacetime.

Brazil

The Brazilian Constitution of 1988 places the Brazilian Armed Forces under the supreme command of the president of Brazil.

Brunei

The sultan of Brunei serves as commander-in-chief of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

Canada

The Canadian monarch holds the powers of command-in-chief, which are delegated to the governor general of Canada. The minister of national defence is responsible to Parliament of Canada for national defense matters.

China

Croatia

The Constitution of Croatia names the president of Croatia as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, acting through the minister of defence in peacetime.

Czechia

The Constitution of the Czech Republic makes the president of the Czech Republic the commander-in-chief, with the prime minister and Government holding political responsibility.

Denmark

The Danish monarch traditionally holds supreme command, though the minister of defence is the highest authority in practice.

Dominican Republic

The Constitution names the president as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, the National Police, and other security agencies.

Egypt

The president of Egypt holds the title of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, with a government member, usually the defence minister, acting as commander-in-chief.

Eswatini

The king of Eswatini is the commander-in-chief of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force.

Finland

The Constitution of Finland makes the president of Finland the commander-in-chief, with the chief of defence handling everyday command.

France

The president of France is designated as "Chef des Armées" (Chief of the Armies) under the Constitution, holding supreme executive authority in military affairs.

Ghana

The Constitution of Ghana names the president of Ghana as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Guyana

The Guyanese constitution names the president as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

India

The president of India is the supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces, though executive command is exercised by the prime minister and Union Council of Ministers.

Indonesia

The Constitution of Indonesia states that the president of Indonesia holds supreme command of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, with day-to-day operations handled by the commander of the Armed Forces.

Iran

After 1979, the role of commander-in-chief was given to the Supreme Leader of Iran.

Ireland

The president of Ireland is the supreme commander, though the minister for defence acts on their behalf.

Italy

The Constitution of Italy states that the president of Italy is the commander of the armed forces, with executive power resting with the government.

Kenya

The Constitution of Kenya identifies the president of Kenya as commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defence Forces.

Latvia

The Constitution of Latvia makes the president of Latvia Commander-in-Chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces.

Malaysia

The King of Malaysia is Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, with the power to appoint senior military leaders.

Mexico

The Constitution of Mexico states that the president of Mexico is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

New Zealand

The Monarch of New Zealand and their representative, the governor-general, serve as commander-in-chief, though this role is largely ceremonial.

Nigeria

The Constitution of Nigeria names the president of Nigeria as commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Norway

The Constitution of Norway states that Harald V, King of Norway, is commander-in-chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Pakistan

The president of Pakistan is the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Philippines

The president of the Philippines is mandated by the Constitution to be commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

Poland

The president of Poland is the supreme commander of the Polish Armed Forces, exercising authority through the Minister of National Defence in peacetime.

Portugal

The president of Portugal is the constitutional supreme commander of the Armed Forces, with operational command delegated to the chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces.

Russia

The Constitution of the Russian Federation names the president of Russia as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Rwanda

The Constitution of Rwanda names the president of Rwanda as commander-in-chief of the Rwanda Defence Forces.

Saudi Arabia

The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia states that the king of Saudi Arabia is the commander-in-chief of all Military Forces.

Serbia

The president of Serbia is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

Slovenia

In Slovenia, the commander-in-chief is formally the president of Slovenia, though in peacetime this role is usually assumed by the minister of defence.

South Africa

The Constitution of South Africa states that the president of South Africa is the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence Force.

South Korea

The Constitution of South Korea names the president of South Korea as the commander-in-chief and supreme authority on all military matters.

Spain

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 authorizes the king to exercise supreme command of the Armed Forces.

Sri Lanka

As head of state, the president of Sri Lanka is nominally the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Suriname

The constitution gives the president of Suriname supreme authority over the armed forces.

Syria

The constitution of Syria states that the president is the “Supreme Commander of the Army and Armed Forces”.

Taiwan

The Constitution of the Republic of China stipulates that the president is the commander-in-chief of the ROC Armed Forces.

Thailand

The position of commander-in-chief is vested in the Thai monarch, who is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.

Turkey

The Constitution of Turkey gives the president of Turkey the right to represent the Supreme Military Command and make key military decisions.

Ukraine

The President of Ukraine is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

United Kingdom

The British monarch is the Head of the British Armed Forces and is considered the ultimate authority.

United States

The Constitution of the United States states that the president of the United States is "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States".

Uzbekistan

The Uzbek president holds the constitutional position of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan.

Venezuela

The Venezuelan constitution names the president as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

Vietnam

The president of Vietnam is the de jure commander-in-chief, though real power lies with the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party.

Other officeholders as commanders-in-chief or other situations

Armenia

The prime minister of Armenia is called the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armenian Armed Forces. An old title, Sparapet, was used for top military leaders in ancient and medieval Armenia. It started in the 2nd century BC and is still used today for important military leaders. Famous people with this title include Garegin Nzhdeh, who led the Republic of Mountainous Armenia, and Vazgen Sargsyan, who was defense minister of Armenia and prime minister in the 1990s.

China

See also: The Party commands the gun

Article 93 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China says the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China leads the armed forces. The same article says the chairman of this commission is responsible for its work and it answers to the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee. There is also a Central Military Commission for the Chinese Communist Party under the Party Central Committee. In practice, both commissions have the same members, except for a short time between the Party Congress and the National People's Congress, and are practically the same institution under the system of "one institution, two names".

Article 80 also gives the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee the power to declare martial law, declare war, and issue orders to mobilize forces.

The state president and the CMC chairman are different jobs and have not always been held by the same person. However, since 1993, during Jiang Zemin's time as General Secretary of the Communist Party and CMC chairman, it has been common for the offices of the CCP general secretary, president, and the CMC chairman to be held by the same person; although the slight differences in the start and end of terms for those offices means that there is some overlap between an occupant and his predecessor.

Hong Kong

When Hong Kong was a British territory, the civilian governor was the ex officio commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. After the handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the commanders of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison are PLA personnel from mainland China and commanded by the CMC.

Ethiopia

The 1995 Constitution names the prime minister of Ethiopia as "Commander-in-Chief of the national armed forces" in Article 74(1).

Germany

Federal Republic of Germany (1956–present)

When West Germany joined NATO in 1955 and became re-militarized, the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany was changed in 1956 to include rules for leading the armed forces.

• In peacetime, under Article 65a, the federal minister of defence (German: Bundesminister der Verteidigung) has the highest command over the Bundeswehr.
• If the Bundestag declares a state of defence (German: Verteidigungsfall), the Federal Chancellor, under Article 115b, takes command of the armed forces. As of 2023^[update], this has never happened.
• The president of Germany has no role in commanding the forces, though he still receives ceremonial honors as a head of state.

Giving command to the minister in charge of the military breaks from Germany's past tradition of the head of state having command. The reason was that in a democratic parliamentary system the command should be where it is used and under the control of parliament at all times. By giving it to the minister, military affairs is one of many government duties; unlike earlier times when the military was separate from civilian control and could act as a state within a state (in contrast to the Federal Republic, the Weimar Republic started with the Ebert–Groener pact, which kept the military separate from politics; the 1925 election of Paul von Hindenburg as Reichspräsident, surrounded by his camarilla and the actions of Kurt von Schleicher, did little to change this).

East Germany (1960–1990)

The legislature of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the Volkskammer, made a law on 13 February 1960 to form the National Defense Council of the GDR, which had a chairman and at least 12 members. This was added to the GDR Constitution in April 1968. The National Defense Council had the highest command of the National People's Army (including internal security forces), and the council's chairman (usually the General Secretary of the ruling Socialist Unity Party) was the GDR's commander-in-chief.

The GDR joined the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990, and the GDR's constitution and armed forces ended.

German Reich (1871–1945)

During the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, Weimar Republic and the Nazi era, the head of state—the king of Prussia/German emperor (under the Constitution of the Kingdom of Prussia/Constitution of the German Empire) until 1918, the Reichspräsident (under the Weimar Constitution) until 1934, and the Führer from 1934 to 1945—was the leader of the Armed Forces (German: Oberbefehlshaber).

Below the head of state, each military branch (German: Teilstreitkraft) had its own leader who reported to the head of state and held the highest rank in that branch; in the Reichsheer - Generalfeldmarschall, and in the Reichsmarine - Grossadmiral.

After Chancellor Adolf Hitler became Führer (after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg), he later gave his war minister, Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg, the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in 1935, when conscription started again. However, in 1938 due to the Blomberg–Fritsch Affair, Hitler took away the commander-in-chief title, removed the war ministry, and took personal command of the Armed Forces. The war ministry was effectively taken over by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, led by Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel until Germany’s surrender.

Greece

According to Article 45 of the Greek Constitution, the president is the head of the Greek Armed Forces, but the government handles their administration. The prime minister, the minister for national defence and the chief of the general staff are the ones who command the Armed Forces.

Iraq

Before the war, the commander-in-chief was the head of state, the president. In the current constitution, the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces is the prime minister, and the president only has a ceremonial role of giving out medals and awards on the recommendation of the commander-in-chief.

Israel

In Israel, the basic law says the ultimate power over the Israel Defense Forces lies with the Government of Israel (led by the prime minister) as a group. The government's authority is used by the minister of defense for the Government. However, the commander-in-chief of the IDF is the chief of general staff who, though under the minister of defense, has the highest command in the military.

Japan

In Japan, before the Meiji Restoration, the commander-in-chief was the shōgun (the most powerful samurai daimyō). After the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, the role went to the Emperor of Japan. Today, the emperor is a ceremonial figurehead. The current Japanese constitution calls the emperor "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the People," with no military role.

After Japan moved toward democracy, the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Forces is the prime minister of Japan. Military authority goes from the prime minister to the cabinet-level minister of defense in the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

Malta

The Malta Armed Forces Act does not name the president of Malta as the supreme commander of the Armed Forces. However, Maltese law lets the president organize and keep an armed force. The law also lets the president give orders to the armed forces.

The Armed Forces do not pledge loyalty to the president of Malta, but to the Republic of Malta. Because of this, there is no direct link between the head of state and the armed forces. This link is handled by the minister for defence.

Still, the Presidential Palaces are guarded by the Armed Forces as a sign of national unity.

Myanmar

In Myanmar, the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services (Tatmadaw) is the top military leader, a job held by a military officer, not the president. The commander-in-chief is part of the National Defence and Security Council and reports to the president. The commander-in-chief is helped by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services.

Netherlands

The Constitution of the Netherlands states, in article 97, that "the Government shall have supreme authority over the armed forces". Article 42 says the Government is the Monarch and the ministers, and that only ministers are responsible for government actions. Article 45 says the ministers make up the Cabinet, led by the prime minister, with "authority to decide upon overall government policy".

Before the constitution change in 1983, the rule said: "The King shall have supreme authority over the armed forces". Even so, the monarch’s role as commander in chief was ceremonial, like in most European constitutional monarchies. Because the monarch is part of the government, monarchs of the Netherlands do not hold a military rank. The current king of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands gave up his military ranks (equal to a one-star general in all branches) when he became king in 2013. He was given royal symbols to show his continuing support for the armed forces, but these are not a real rank.

The minister of defence is mainly responsible for the armed forces, which are part of the Ministry of Defence. The chief of defence is the highest-ranking military officer, and acts as a link between the minister of defence and the Armed Forces, and is responsible to the minister for military planning, operations and using the Armed Forces.

North Korea

Article 47 of the Rules of the Workers' Party of Korea says the Korean People's Army is "Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Workers' Party of Korea" and "Korean People's Army conducts all military and political activities under the leadership of the Party." Article 30 gives commanding authority to the Party Central Military Commission, whose ex officio chair is the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Article 103 of the Constitution of North Korea names the President of the State Affairs Commission as the country’s head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Both jobs are currently held by Kim Jong Un. Since 2018, he has started giving orders in the name of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, instead of the Supreme Commander.

Sweden

In Sweden, with the Ordinance of Alsnö in 1280, nobles were freed from land taxes if they provided cavalry to the king. After the Swedish War of Liberation (1521–23) from the Kalmar Union, a Guards Regiment was formed for the King, and the modern Swedish Army started from there. During the Swedish Empire, several kings—Gustavus Adolphus the Great, Charles X Gustav, Charles XI & Charles XII—led their troops in battle. Under the Instrument of Government of 1809, which was used until the current one of 1974, the monarch was named the commander-in-chief of the Swedish Armed Forces (Swedish: Högste befälhavare).

Now, the Government (Swedish: Regeringen), led by the prime minister of Sweden, has the highest authority, though not officially called commander-in-chief. The reason for this change was that since 1917 the king was not expected to make political decisions without advice, and the new Instrument of Government was meant to describe how the state really works. Minister of Justice Lennart Geijer said any royal role in decisions would be "fictitious" and "not good".

Some government decisions about the Armed Forces (Swedish: Särskilda regeringsbeslut) can be given to the minister for defence, under the prime minister’s watch and as set by rules.

Until 2024, the head of the Swedish Armed Forces and top officer on duty was called supreme commander of the Swedish Armed Forces (Swedish: Överbefälhavaren). In 2024, this title changed to Chief of Defense after Sweden joined NATO.

But the Monarch (now King Carl XVI Gustaf), is still a four-star general and admiral à la suite in the Swedish Army, Navy and Air Force and is seen as the main representative of the Swedish Armed Forces. The king has a military staff as part of his court. The staff is led by a senior officer (usually a general or admiral, not on active duty) and includes active duty officers serving the king and his family.

Switzerland

Supreme authority over the military belongs to the Federal Council, which is Switzerland’s collective head of state. However, the Constitution says the Federal Council can only command up to 4,000 soldiers for up to three weeks of mobilization. To have more soldiers, the Federal Assembly must elect a General, giving him four stars. The General is elected by the Federal Assembly to have the same democratic legitimacy as the Federal Council.

In peacetime, the Armed Forces are led by the Chief of the Armed Forces (Chef der Armee), who reports to the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports and to the Federal Council as a whole. The Chief of the Armed Forces has the rank of Korpskommandant or Commandant de corps (OF-8 in NATO terms).

In a time of war or national emergency, the Federal Assembly, meeting as the United Federal Assembly, elects a General as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces under Article 168 of the Constitution. The General is the top military leader with much freedom, but still reports to the Federal Council (See Articles 58, 60, 174, 177, 180 & 185). The Federal Assembly can dismiss the General, but the General still reports to the Federal Council because the council can end the mobilization, making the General’s job end.

Four generals have been appointed in Swiss 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"). Even though Switzerland stayed neutral in these wars, the threat of being a battlefield by Germany and France meant the army had to be ready.