What best describes the chain of command in the U.S. Armed Forces?

• A. It runs from the U.S. President to the Joint Chiefs to the Combatant Commanders.
• B. It runs from the Secretary of Defense directly to the Combatant Commanders.
• C. It runs from the U.S. President through the Secretary of Defense to the Combatant Commanders.
• D. It runs from the Combatant Commanders to the President.

Answer: (C)

Authority in the U.S. military flows in a top-down way, with the President as Commander in Chief at the apex. The President issues direction through the Secretary of Defense, who is the civilian leader responsible for implementing policy and managing the armed forces. From there, orders go to the Combatant Commanders, who have command authority over the forces assigned to their unified commands. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are senior military advisers and help coordinate planning and policy, but they do not hold combatant command authority themselves. So the structure is the President down through the Secretary of Defense to the Combatant Commanders.