# President of the United States **Entity class:** Constitutional office ## Definition The **President of the United States** is the constitutional Commander in Chief and the apex political authority in the military chain of command. In the national-security architecture, this office sets objectives and authorizes action; it is not a technical data-fusion node. ## Relationships - **directs defense through:** [[wiki/Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]]. - **receives advice from:** [[wiki/Joint Staff|Joint Staff]], cabinet officers, and the Intelligence Community. - **issues instruments including:** [[wiki/Executive Order 14157|Executive Order 14157]] and [[wiki/Executive Order 14318|Executive Order 14318]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [The White House — The Executive Branch](https://www.whitehouse.gov/government/executive-branch/)