Final answer:
The president cannot declare war; only Congress has that power. However, presidents have military powers enabling them to conduct military actions without formal declarations of war, often using authorizations to use force or international resolutions as justification. The statement in the question s false.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is false that the President can declare war as commander in chief of the armed forces. While the President does serve as the commander in chief of the United States armed forces and possesses significant military powers such as federalizing the National Guard in times of war or national emergency, the authority to declare war rests with Congress. This delineation of power is specified in the Constitution and is a part of the system of checks and balances designed to prevent any single branch of government from having too much power.
Despite not having the power to officially declare war, Presidents have been known to use their military powers in ways that have not required formal declarations of war. In recent history, they have relied on congressional authorizations to use force, international resolutions, and sometimes their own inherent powers to protect the United States as rationalizations for military actions.
Nonetheless, the formal process for declaring war requires action by Congress, even though the reality of military engagement often involves significant presidential initiative and decision-making.