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Very few would argue with the claim that the President’s role as Commander-in-Chief is the greatest formal power that a president possesses. Yet, in the Constitution, only Congress has the authority to formally “declare war.” Presidents for the last 60-70 years have openly stated that they do not need Congressional authorization to use the military to pursue America’s interests on the global stage. As proof, America has not formally declared war since WWII. So, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq War, Afghanistan, and now Syria have all been military exercises, but not wars in the Constitutional sense.
Has the power of the President of the United States as
Commander-in-Chief exceeded constitutional boundaries and should those powers
be curtailed, given the constant state of war we find ourselves in? Or should
the President’s military powers continue to expand to address the growing chaos
in our world, despite the Constitution or in congruence with the Constitution?
Explain your answer.
Your initial discussion postings (250-300 words) should
demonstrate an understanding and analysis of the assigned readings and video.
It may be helpful to reference the assigned material in your response
demonstrating connections between your thoughts and the course resources.
President's Role as Commander-in-Chief
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
President's Role as Commander-in-Chief
In the United States, the president has the formal
power as Commander-in-Chief. However, the Constitution only authorizes Congress
to ‘declare’ war. The government has gone to war on numerous occasions without
a formal declaration of war. Given the constant state of war, the presidency
has exceeded its mandate and should have its power curtailed.
The authority of the president exceeds constitutional
boundaries because declaring war is a legislative function. According to
Couchman (2018), the president is the commander-in-chief, and gets to decides
on the best course of action during military operations. However, the mandate
to authorize war remains in the domain of Congress. The Constitution allows
Congress to provide the executive with the laws essential in carrying out the
act of war. Through the statutory requirement, it reserves the power to
determine the conduct of the president and declare war during conflicts.
The mandate of the president to declare war violates War Powers Resolution of 1973....
