Editing Head of state (section)

====Military role====
{{Main|Commander in Chief}}
[[File:21 juli 2011 Defilé Koning Albert II.png|thumb|[[Albert II of Belgium|Albert II]], [[Monarchy of Belgium|King of the Belgians]] inspecting [[Belgian Armed Forces|troops]] on Belgium's [[national day]] in 2011]]
[[File:Nicolas Sarkozy Bastille Day 2008 n1.jpg|thumb|[[Nicolas Sarkozy]], [[President of France]] and General [[Jean-Louis Georgelin]], [[Chief of the Defence Staff (France)|Chief of the Defence Staff]], reviewing troops during the 2008 [[Bastille Day military parade]] on the [[Champs-Élysées]] in [[Paris]]]]

A head of state is often, by virtue of holding the highest executive powers, explicitly designated as the [[commander-in-chief]] of that nation's [[armed forces]], holding the highest office in all military [[chain of command|chains of command]].

In a constitutional monarchy or non-executive presidency, the head of state may [[de jure]] hold ultimate authority over the armed forces but will only normally, as per either written law or unwritten convention, exercise their authority on the advice of their responsible ministers: meaning that the [[de facto]] ultimate decision making on military manoeuvres is made elsewhere. The head of state will, regardless of actual authority, perform ceremonial duties related to the country's armed forces, and will sometimes appear in military uniform for these purposes; particularly in monarchies where also the monarch's consort and other members of a [[royal family]] may also appear in military garb. This is generally the only time a head of state of a stable, democratic country will appear dressed in such a manner, as statesmen and public are eager to assert the [[civilian control of the military|primacy of (civilian, elected) politics over the armed forces]].

In [[military dictatorship]]s, or governments which have arisen from [[coups d'état]], the position of commander-in-chief is obvious, as all authority in such a government derives from the application of military force; occasionally a power vacuum created by war is filled by a head of state stepping beyond the normal constitutional role, as King [[Albert I of Belgium]] did during [[World War I]]. In these and in revolutionary regimes, the head of state, and often [[executive minister]]s whose offices are legally civilian, will frequently appear in military uniform.
* ''Example 1 (parliamentary monarchy):'' Article III, Section 15 of the [[Constitution Act, 1867]], a part of the [[Constitution of Canada]], states:
** ''The Command-in-Chief of the [[Canadian Armed Forces|Land and Naval Militia, and of all Naval and Military Forces, of and in Canada]], is hereby declared to continue to be vested in the [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen]].''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1867.html|title=The Constitution Act, 1867|access-date=29 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203024121/http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1867.html|archive-date=3 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ''Example 2 (parliamentary monarchy):'' Article 25 of the [[Constitution of Norway]] states:
** ''The [[Monarchy of Norway|King]] is Commander-in-Chief of the [[Norwegian Armed Forces|land and naval forces of the Realm]]. These forces may not be increased or reduced without the consent of the [[Storting]]. They may not be transferred to the service of foreign powers, nor may the military forces of any foreign power, except auxiliary forces assisting against hostile attack, be brought into the Realm without the consent of the Storting.''
** ''The territorial army and the other troops which cannot be classed as troops of the line must never, without the consent of the Storting, be employed outside the borders of the Realm.''<ref name=norway>[http://www.stortinget.no/en/In-English/About-the-Storting/The-Constitution/The-Constitution The Constitution, as laid down on 17 May 1814 by the Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll and subsequently amended.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515121627/http://www.stortinget.no/en/In-English/About-the-Storting/The-Constitution/The-Constitution/ |date=15 May 2012 }}, Information Service, [[Parliament of Norway]]. Retrieved on 11 November 2012.</ref>
* ''Example 3 (parliamentary republic):'' Chapter II, Article 87, 4th section of the [[Constitution of Italy]] states:
** ''The [[President of Italy|President]] is the commander-in-chief of the [[Italian Armed Forces|armed forces]], shall preside over the Supreme Council of Defense established by law, and shall make declarations of war as have been agreed by Parliament of Italy.''
* ''Example 4 (semi-presidential republic):'' Title II, Article 15 of the [[French Constitution of 1958]] states:
** ''The [[President of France|President of the Republic]] shall be Commander-in-Chief of the [[French Armed Forces|Armed Forces]]. He shall preside over the higher national defence councils and committees.''<ref name=france/>
* ''Example 5 (semi-presidential republic):'' According to Chapter 4, Article 87, Section 1 of the [[Constitution of Russia]]:
** ''The [[President of the Russian Federation]] shall be the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the [[Armed Forces of the Russian Federation]].''<ref name=government.ru/>
* ''Example 6 (presidential republic):'' Article II, Section 2 of the [[United States Constitution]] states:
** ''The [[President of the United States|President]] shall be Commander in Chief of the [[United States Armed Forces|Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States]].''<ref name="us constitution"/>
* ''Example 7 (executive monarchy):'' Article 65 of the [[Constitution of Qatar]] provides that:
** ''The [[Emir of Qatar|Emir]] is the Commander-in-Chief of the [[Qatar Armed Forces|armed forces]]. He shall supervise the same with the assistance of Defence Council under his direct authority. The said Council shall be constituted by an Emiri Resolution, which will also determine the functions thereof.''<ref name=qatar/>

Some countries with a [[parliamentary system]] designate officials other than the head of state with command-in-chief powers.
* In [[Germany]], the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Basic Law for the Federal Republic]] vests this authority in the [[Minister of Defence (Germany)|Minister of Defence]] in normal peacetime (article 65a), and that command authority is transferred to the [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)|federal chancellor]] when a [[State of Defence (Germany)|State of Defence]] is invoked (article 115b): something which has never happened so far.<ref name=germany>"[https://www.btg-bestellservice.de/pdf/80201000.pdf Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany]", [[Bundestag]] (October 2010). Retrieved on 11 November 2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619180331/https://www.btg-bestellservice.de/pdf/80201000.pdf |date=19 June 2017 }}.</ref>
* In [[Israel]], the [[Basic Laws of Israel|applicable basic law]] states that the ultimate authority over the [[Israel Defense Forces]] rests with the [[Cabinet of Israel|Government of Israel]] as a collective body. The authority of the Government is exercised by the [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|minister of defence]] on behalf of the Government, and subordinate to the minister is the [[Chief of General Staff (Israel)|chief of general staff]] who holds the highest level of command within the military.<ref name="israel bl military">[https://www.knesset.gov.il/laws/special/eng/basic11_eng.htm Basic Law of Israel: The Military] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827085026/http://knesset.gov.il/laws/special/eng/basic11_eng.htm |date=27 August 2014 }}, [[Knesset]]. Retrieved on 11 November 2011.</ref>

The armed forces of the [[Communist state]]s are under the absolute control of the [[Communist party]].
* In [[China]], the [[Supreme Military Command of the People's Republic of China|command-in-chief]] of the [[People's Liberation Army]] is the [[Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)|Chairman of the Central Military Commission]], but not the [[President of the People's Republic of China|president of China]], however, in practice, these offices are held by the same person, who is also [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]].