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The Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 added a new level of commander-in-chief (CINC) to the U.S. military's Chain Of Command . Regional CINCs were created in order to have a local supreme commander who could exercise unified command and control across service boundaries, ideally eliminating or diminishing interservice rivalries. CINCs reported directly to the United States Secretary Of Defense , and through him to the President Of The United States . The best-known CINC was probably Norman Schwarzkopf , CINC of U.S. Central Command ( CENTCOM ) during Operation Desert Storm .

On October 24 , 2002 , Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced that the title of "Commander-in-Chief" would thereafter be reserved for the President, consistent with the terms of Article II of the United States Constitution . Armed forces CINCs in specified regions would thereafter be known as "combatant commanders," heading what are now know as Unified Combatant Command s.