National Command Authority (United States)

The National Command Authority (NCA) is a term that was formerly used by the Department of Defense of the United States to refer to the ultimate source of lawful military orders.

The NCA was first alluded to in a 1960 Department of Defense document. It included at least the president of the United States as commander-in-chief and the secretary of defense. The term has no statutory or constitutional basis and was replaced in 2002 in favor of explicitly referring to the president and/or the secretary of defense.^[1]^[2]

The term also refers to communications with the commanding officers of the Unified Combatant Commands to put U.S. forces into action.

^ Abrams, Herbert L. (1994). The President Has Been Shot: Confusion, Disability, & the 25th Amendment. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 323. ISBN 0-8047-2325-7. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
^ Croddy, Eric A.; Wirtz, James J.; Larsen, Jeffrey A. (2005). Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Encyclopedia of Worldwide Policy, Technology, and History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 66. ISBN 1-85109-490-3. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

[1] Abrams, Herbert L. (1994). The President Has Been Shot: Confusion, Disability, & the 25th Amendment. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 323. ISBN 0-8047-2325-7. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

[2] Croddy, Eric A.; Wirtz, James J.; Larsen, Jeffrey A. (2005). Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Encyclopedia of Worldwide Policy, Technology, and History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 66. ISBN 1-85109-490-3. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

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