<P> President of the Republic of Turkey has the constitutional right to represent the Supreme Military Command of the Turkish Armed Forces, on behalf of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, and to decide on the mobilization of the Turkish Armed Forces, to appoint the Chief of the General Staff, to call the National Security Council to meet, to preside over the National Security Council, to proclaim martial law or state of emergency, and to issue decrees having the force of law, upon a decision of the Council of Ministers meeting under his / her chairmanship . With all these issues above written in the Constitution of Turkey, the executive rights are given to the President of the Republic of Turkey to be represented as the commander - in - chief of the nation . </P> <P> The British monarch is the "Head of the Armed Forces" and has also been described as "commander in chief of the armed forces of the Crown". Long - standing constitutional convention, however, has vested de facto executive authority, by the exercise of Royal Prerogative powers, in the prime minister and the Secretary of State for Defence . The Prime Minister (acting with the support of the Cabinet) makes the key decisions on the use of the armed forces . The Queen, however, remains the "ultimate authority" of the military, with officers and personnel swearing allegiance only to the monarch . </P> <P> According to Article II, Section 2, Clause I of the Constitution, the President of the United States is "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 ." Since the National Security Act of 1947, this has been understood to mean all United States Armed Forces . U.S. ranks have their roots in British military traditions, with the President possessing ultimate authority, but no rank, maintaining a civilian status, other than the title of Commander in Chief . The exact degree of authority that the Constitution grants to the President as Commander in Chief has been the subject of much debate throughout history, with Congress at various times granting the President wide authority and at others attempting to restrict that authority . </P> <P> The amount of military detail handled personally by the President in wartime has varied dramatically . George Washington, the first U.S. president, firmly established military subordination under civilian authority . In 1794, Washington used his constitutional powers to assemble 12,000 militia to quell the Whiskey Rebellion--a conflict in western Pennsylvania involving armed farmers and distillers who refused to pay excise tax on spirits . According to historian Joseph Ellis, this was the "first and only time a sitting American president led troops in the field", though James Madison briefly took control of artillery units in defense of Washington D.C. during the War of 1812 . </P>

Commander in chief of the us armed forces