What is the sequence of the Administrative Chain of Command?

What is the sequence of the Administrative Chain of Command?

• A. POTUS → SECDEF → Service Secretaries → Service Chiefs → forces.
• B. POTUS → SECDEF → Combatant Commanders → operational forces.
• C. The President and Secretary of Defense.
• D. NCA → Combatant Commander → Component Commander → Numbered Fleet.

Answer: (A)

Administrative Chain of Command shows who has authority over the military in non-operational matters. The President, as Commander in Chief, sets policy and direction. Beneath that, the Secretary of Defense translates policy into defense plans and oversees the department’s resources. Under the SecDef are the Service Secretaries (one for each branch), who handle service-wide administration, budgets, and policy. At the top of each service are the Service Chiefs, the senior uniformed leaders who advise on service matters and oversee readiness, training, and personnel. The forces themselves are organized under this administrative line, but actual day-to-day deployment and combat authority in the field flow through the operational chain via Combatant Commanders, not through the Service Chiefs. This matches the sequence: President → Secretary of Defense → Service Secretaries → Service Chiefs → forces.

Administrative Chain of Command shows who has authority over the military in non-operational matters. The President, as Commander in Chief, sets policy and direction. Beneath that, the Secretary of Defense translates policy into defense plans and oversees the department’s resources. Under the SecDef are the Service Secretaries (one for each branch), who handle service-wide administration, budgets, and policy. At the top of each service are the Service Chiefs, the senior uniformed leaders who advise on service matters and oversee readiness, training, and personnel. The forces themselves are organized under this administrative line, but actual day-to-day deployment and combat authority in the field flow through the operational chain via Combatant Commanders, not through the Service Chiefs. This matches the sequence: President → Secretary of Defense → Service Secretaries → Service Chiefs → forces.