Dateline: 10/29/02

Reminding the US Military that America has only one true commander in chief -- President Bush -- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has forbidden the long-used acronym of "CINC" (pronounced "sink") when referring to for military officers.

Since before World War II, US Military personnel had commonly used "CINC" as the shortened version of "commander in chief" when referring to commanders of unified commands. For example, the official titles "Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command" or "Commander in Chief, U.S. Transportation Command," were shortened to "CINC PAC" and "CINC USTRANSCOM" in both verbal and written communications.

However, in a recent memorandum, Rumsfeld reminds all personnel that the exclusive and proper use of the title commander in chief is "enshrined" in Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which states:

"The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States."

Out With the Old, In With the New
Rumsfeld goes on to order that the term "combatant commander," which he said he had been using for months, should immediately be used when referring to regional organizations such as the newly created U.S. Northern Command and "commander" when talking about a specified unit such as the U.S. Strategic Command.

The new term, wrote Rumsfeld, is simply "commander," as in "Commander, U.S. Northern Command" and "Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command."

Issues Stay of Execution for Old Stationary, Signs
Recognizing that untold dollars had been spent over the years having them printed up, Rumsfeld ordered that existing stocks of stationary and signs using the CINC acronym should be done only as necessary in regular maintenance and should not result in " any undue additional cost to taxpayers."

The hardest part of the transition, according to long-time military personnel, will be breaking the old habit without getting a 'CINCing' feeling.