| Head of the Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
_Salute_2024.jpg) | |
| British Armed Forces | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| Type | Commander-in-chief |
| Status | Supreme Commanding Authority |
| Website | www |
Head of the Armed Forces[1] is the position of thesovereign of the United Kingdom ascommander-in-chief of theBritish Armed Forces.[2] Supreme military authority is vested in the monarch and extends to the exercise of several personal prerogatives. However, routine administration of the military is delegated as a matter of law to theDefence Council of the United Kingdom, a body officially charged with the direction and command of the Armed Forces. As the Defence Council and its service boards are all a part of theMinistry of Defence, which itself is aministerial department of theGovernment of the United Kingdom, theprime minister makes the key decisions on the use of the Armed Forces, while thesecretary of state for defence assists the prime minister in the development ofdefence policy and administers the day-to-daymilitary operations.
Before joining the military all recruits of the British Armed Forces (other than Officers in the Royal Navy[3]) must take the following oath:
I... swear by Almighty God (do solemnly, and truly declare and affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His MajestyKing Charles III, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will, as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully defend His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, in Person, Crown and Dignity against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, and of the [Generals/Admirals/Air Officers] and Officers set over me.[2]
Supreme command and control over the Armed Forces vests in the Sovereign by virtue of theroyal prerogative; this constitutional arrangement has existed in the United Kingdom and its successor states since time immemorial.[4][5] As a matter ofstatute law however, day-to-day administration and control of the military is carried out on behalf of the reigning King or Queen by theDefence Council through theMinistry of Defence and its subordinate service boards. This delegation of command authority extends to matters ofmobilisation, the recruitment ofnon-commissioned officers, and the issuance ofcommands through thecommand hierarchy of the threeservices.[6] That notwithstanding, the delegation of daily command authority does not in any way affect the Crown's personal prerogatives in relation to the Armed Forces.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
A number of powers, duties, and functions are reposed in the Sovereign in his or her capacity as Head of the Armed Forces. Long-standingconstitutional convention, however, generally requires the Sovereign to exercise these personal prerogatives in accordance with theadvice ofministers of the Crown responsible toParliament, namely thePrime Minister andHis Majesty's Secretary of State for Defence. The Prime Minister (in consultation with theCabinet) makes the key political decisions on the use of the Armed Forces while the Defence Secretary administers daily military operations.[13] Nevertheless, the supreme military authority belongs to the Sovereign and not to theGovernment of the day. The Sovereign thus enjoys the right to be consulted before acting on ministerial advice, the right to encourage a given course of military action, and the right to warn against or request a reconsideration of the same.[14][15] In addition, the monarch has a number ofreserve powers at his disposal, albeit rarely invoked, to upholdresponsible government and preventunlawful use of the Armed Forces.[16] To this end, the King hasplenary authority to:[17][6]
The King regularly receives the agenda in advance of all Cabinet meetings and its committees, particularly theNational Security Council.[18] He also receives the minutes of the meetings of all of these committees and all Cabinet documents.[19] Likewise, the King regularly receives the Secretary of State for Defence in audience to discuss defence documents and policies; if he requires, hisPrivate Secretary can seek additional information from the Ministry of Defence.[20] His Majesty also receives regular reports from theChief of the General Staff, theFirst Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, and theChief of the Air Staff that cover all important developments in military matters.[21] His Majesty further receives theChief of the Defence Staff in audience to discuss tri-service military matters.[19]
Since the reign ofElizabeth II, the Monarch has been affectionately referred to asThe Boss in informal settings by some members of the Armed Forces, reflecting the Monarch's connection to the Armed Forces through their position as Commander-in-Chief and theOath service personal take when joining the Armed Forces.[22][23]
TheDefence Services Secretary is an officer of theRoyal Household. The DSS is appointed by Royal Warrant from the three Services on a rotational basis.[24] The current occupant isRear Admiral James Norman Macleod. He is the primary channel of communication between the Monarch, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the officers and commands of the British Armed Forces. His office provides the Monarch with the information and documentation related to defence affairs that he requires to perform his military functions. The office was created in 1964 byQueen Elizabeth II as part of the centralization of military affairs into a single defence ministry. The DSS maintains a direct link with the offices of the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force.[25] The Defence Services Secretary is responsible to the King, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff for tri-service military appointments and works with theMilitary Secretary, theAir Secretary andNaval Secretary. He submits the names of the officers nominated for promotion to the King through his private secretary. The King makes appointments to the ranks of rear-admiral, major-general, air vice-marshal and above directly.[2]
TheMinistry of Defence is the highest level military headquarters charged with formulating and executing defence policy for the Armed Forces; it employed 57,000 civilians in October 2017.[26]
The command authority of the Armed Forces flows from themonarch, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, to the various officers and councils of the defence ministry.[27] The Monarch appoints the members of these committees to exercise day-to-day administration of His Majesty's Armed Forces. The committees are theDefence Council, the Army Board, the Navy Board, the Air Force Board, the Defence Board[28] and theChiefs of Staffs Committee. The Defence Council, composed of senior representatives of the services and the Ministry of Defence, provides the "formal legal basis for the conduct of defence" and is chaired by the Defence Secretary.[29][30]
Each service branch of the Armed Forces maintains its own command staff that administers the affairs of its service.[31] The staffs receive their authority to act and to exercise command and control over their units from the monarch and his Defence Council.[2]
Until 2012 each of the three services also had one or morecommands with a (four-star) commander-in-chief in charge of operations. These were, latterly:Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET – sharing a Command HQ withCommander-in-Chief Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME)),Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces (CINCLAND) andCommander-in-Chief Air (CINCAIR). (At one time there were many moreNaval,Military andAir Commands, each with (in many cases) their own Commanders-in-Chief.) Since 2012, however, full operational command has been vested in the three Chiefs of Staff, and the appointment of distinct Commanders-in-Chief has been discontinued. This change was implemented in response to the 2011Levene report, which advised that it would serve to "streamline top-level decision-making, simplify lines of accountability... remove duplication between the posts and also provide impetus to the leaning of the senior leadership".[32]
Under the Monarch's regulations for the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Monarch is responsible for making a large number of appointments to senior military posts. Currently the Commander-in-Chief approves appointments at the two-star level and up. The names of the officers appointed to these and other posts in the armed forces are regularly published by the Ministry of Defence.[31][33]
Most military appointments are issued in the form of Letters Patent or a Royal Warrant; both are forms by which the royal will is expressed.[34] The Defence Council of the United Kingdom is created by Letters Patent that also set out its powers and membership.[2] The King signs a royal warrant directing the issue of the Letters Patent and ordering the Great Seal of The Realm to be affixed to them. Letters patent are the most formal method of appointment and are used infrequently.[34]
The more frequent and simplest method of appointment is by Royal warrant signed by the Monarch and his Secretary of State for Defence. The Secretary of State first makes an informal submission of the name of a candidate, after the Monarch has signified his approval the Defence Ministry prepares the formal Warrant of Appointment. The Warrants (alongside all other Defence documentation) are sent at the end of each weekday to the King's Private Secretary by Dispatch box.[35] The King and the Secretary of State for Defence then sign the warrant.[24]
_-_George_II_at_the_Battle_of_Dettingen%2c_with_the_Duke_of_Cumberland_and_Robert%2c_4th_Earl_of_Holderness%2c_27_June_1743_-_NAM._1961-07-116_-_National_Army_Museum.jpg)
