Which role is explicitly listed as controlling the Administrative Branch?

• A. President of the United States, Secretary of Defense/Chairman
• B. The Combatant Commanders
• C. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• D. The Director of National Intelligence

Answer: (A)

Civilian control over the armed forces rests with the President and the Department of Defense. The President, as Commander in Chief, holds the ultimate authority over military matters, while the Secretary of Defense is responsible for the administrative running of the Department of Defense. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the senior military adviser, not the administrator over the branch. Combatant Commanders have operational control of forces, not administrative control, and the Director of National Intelligence heads the intelligence community, not military administration. So the roles that are explicitly tied to controlling the Administrative Branch are the President and the civilian-military leadership within the DoD (Secretary of Defense, with the Chairman as the senior adviser).