
In the United States, military officers swear to protect and defend the Constitution, not the President. This serves the purpose of separating the military from the President, even though he is the commander in chief. The Constitution includes methods by which a president can be removed and replaced, which should remove the need for the army to overthrow the president.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who do military officers swear to protect? | The Constitution of the United States |
| Who do they not swear to protect? | The President |
| What is the purpose of having the military swear to the Constitution? | To separate them from the president, even though he's the commander in chief |
| What does the Constitution include? | Methods (impeachment and the 25th amendment) by which a bad, crazy, sick etc. president can be removed and replaced |
| What does this ideally remove the need for? | The army to overthrow the president |
| Who would handle the removal of a president? | Other parts of the government (legislature and judiciary) |
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What You'll Learn
- The military swears to protect the Constitution of the United States, not the President
- The Constitution includes methods by which a bad president can be removed and replaced
- The military swears to the Constitution before agreeing to obey orders
- The Air Force is big on questioning orders that don't seem right or feel like they might put you in physical danger
- The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power

The military swears to protect the Constitution of the United States, not the President
Military officers swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the President. This is the case even though the President is the commander in chief. The reason for this is to separate the military from the President.
The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power. The only way the government should change hands is through different candidates winning elections. The Constitution includes methods by which a bad, crazy, or sick president can be removed and replaced (impeachment and the 25th amendment). This removes the need for the army to overthrow the president, because the other parts of the government (legislature and judiciary) can handle it. If the armed forces were to overthrow the President, it would not be a peaceful transfer of power, and the armed forces would then be in charge of the government.
The oath sworn by military officers is taken seriously. In the Air Force, for example, officers are encouraged to question orders that don't seem right or that might put them in physical danger.
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The Constitution includes methods by which a bad president can be removed and replaced
Military officers swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the President. This serves the purpose of separating the military from the President, even though he's the commander in chief. The Constitution includes methods by which a bad president can be removed and replaced. The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power. The only way the government should ever change hands is through different candidates winning elections. The Constitution itself includes a couple of methods (impeachment and the 25th amendment) by which a bad, crazy, sick etc. president can be removed and replaced. Ideally, this would remove the need for the army to overthrow the president, because the other parts of the government (legislature and judiciary) could handle it.
The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified by the states on June 10, 1967. This Amendment establishes a comprehensive plan for presidential succession in the event of death or incapacitation. It also delineates the scope of the "powers and duties" that are transferred to the president's successor. Amendment Twenty-five to the Constitution was ratified on February 10, 1967. It established and explained the complete order of presidential succession, as well as a series of contingency plans to fill any executive vacancies. The official text is written as such: In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.
The final section of Article II, which generally describes the executive branch, specifies that the “President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States” shall be removed from office if convicted in an impeachment trial of “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Two clauses in Article I lay out the role of the House of Representatives and the Senate in impeachments and in trials of impeachment. In practice, impeachments by the House have been rare, and convictions after a trial by the Senate even less common. Three Presidents, one Senator, one cabinet officer, and fifteen judges have been impeached, and of those only eight judges have been convicted and removed from office.
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The military swears to the Constitution before agreeing to obey orders
Military officers swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the President. This serves the purpose of separating them from the President, even though he's the commander in chief. The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power, meaning the government should only ever change hands through different candidates winning elections. The armed forces swear to the Constitution, not the President, but the Constitution includes methods (impeachment and the 25th amendment) by which a bad, crazy, or sick president can be removed and replaced. This removes the need for the army to overthrow the president, because the other parts of the government (legislature and judiciary) can handle it. The armed forces are sworn to the Constitution before agreeing to obey orders.
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The Air Force is big on questioning orders that don't seem right or feel like they might put you in physical danger
The US military swears to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the President. The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power, meaning that the government should only ever change hands through different candidates winning elections.
The Air Force is big on questioning orders that don't seem right or might put you in physical danger. This is because the military swears to the Constitution before agreeing to obey orders. This means that the military's loyalty is to the Constitution, not the President. The Constitution includes methods (impeachment and the 25th amendment) by which a bad, crazy, or sick president can be removed and replaced. This removes the need for the army to overthrow the president, as the other parts of the government (legislature and judiciary) can handle it.
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The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power
Military officers swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the President. The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power. The only way the government should ever change hands is through different candidates winning elections. The armed forces swear to the Constitution, not the president, and the Constitution includes methods (impeachment and the 25th amendment) by which a bad, crazy, sick etc. president can be removed and replaced. This should remove the need for the army to overthrow the president, because the other parts of the government (legislature and judiciary) could handle it. The problem with the armed forces doing it is that it's not a peaceful transfer of power, and the armed forces are now in charge of the government, which is bad.
The oath sworn by military officers is taken seriously by many enlisted personnel, who swear to the Constitution before agreeing to obey orders. This is the same oath sworn by the Air Force, which is big on questioning orders that don't seem right or feel like they might put personnel in physical danger.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, members of the military swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the President.
The Constitution is set up to protect the peaceful transfer of power, meaning the government should only change hands through elections. The military swears to the Constitution to separate them from the President, even though he is the commander in chief.
Swearing to protect the Constitution means that members of the military are agreeing to obey orders that uphold the Constitution. This includes questioning orders that don't seem right or feel like they might put them in physical danger.






















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