Commentary
“Distrust and caution are the parents of security.”—Benjamin Franklin Has the Constitution created a gap and seam in U.S. national security? By design, the framers of the Constitution created checks between the executive and legislative branches. The Constitution created a separation between the ends and ways—controlled by the executive branch and the means—allocated by Congress. While the power to declare war constitutionally rests with Congress, the president commands the military and is responsible for planning U.S. security strategy. The framers of the Constitution did take care to limit the president’s powers regarding the military; Alexander Hamilton explains this in his Federalist No. 69 essay….