<P> The President of the United States is , according to the Constitution , the Commander - in - Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces and Chief Executive of the Federal Government . The Secretary of Defense is the `` Principal Assistant to the President in all matters relating to the Department of Defense '' , and is vested with statutory authority ( 10 U.S.C. § 113 ) to lead the Department and all of its component agencies , including military command authority second only to the President . </P>
is the principal assistant to the president in all matters relating to the dod
The Secretary of Defense