To whom are Combatant Commanders directly responsible?

To whom are Combatant Commanders directly responsible?

• A. National Command Authority
• B. The President
• C. The Secretary of Defense
• D. The Secretary of Navy

Answer: (A)

Combatant Commanders answer to the National Command Authority, which consists of the President and the Secretary of Defense. In practice, the direct direction of joint military operations flows from the NCA to the Secretary of Defense and then to the Combatant Commanders, reflecting civilian oversight of the armed forces. This structure means service secretaries (like the Secretary of the Navy) do not directly command combatant commands; those commands operate at the unified, inter-service level under the NCA via the DoD.

Combatant Commanders answer to the National Command Authority, which consists of the President and the Secretary of Defense. In practice, the direct direction of joint military operations flows from the NCA to the Secretary of Defense and then to the Combatant Commanders, reflecting civilian oversight of the armed forces. This structure means service secretaries (like the Secretary of the Navy) do not directly command combatant commands; those commands operate at the unified, inter-service level under the NCA via the DoD.