Commander in Chief
Many people wonder
who has the power to declare war, keep a well maintained army, & order
troops into battle, have you? Well if you ever had this question
cross your mind this is the place to be!
Our congress has the power to maintain
an army and the power to declare war. Keeping with the checks and
balances system, it makes the president commander in chief (A.M.. leader),
of the armed forces. Only the President can order American troops
into battle. The President can only send troops into battle for up
to sixty days before having to obtain a declaration of war from congress.
This is known as the War Powers Act. The War Powers Act was passed
by Congress in 1973 following the Vietnam War. After receiving consent
from congress, the president is capable of keeping troops in battle
for as long as he/she pleases.
The original framers of the constitution didn't want
the president to be a military person because in the past militay leaders
have tried to take over their country's government using force...
Congress never officially declared
the war with Vietnam, but yet the U.S. still became involved. This
is an example of how the president has used his power as Commander In Chief
to threaten our system of checks and balances.
The War Powers Act-
a) It states
that troops can not be sent into battle for more than sixty days.
b) limits the
President's authority to declare war.
c) requires
the president to notify Congress immediately after troops are sent into
battle
The president could not do whatever
he/she wanted with the military in terms of war.
As Commander in Chief of the United
States the president has the special powers to order the U.S armed forces
to take over the government of another country, and to send troops any
where in the U.S to keep peace within our borders.
click here to
learn more about our government
click
here to learn more about current events
click
here to ask questions about our government
;