Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/21pdf/20-603_o758.pdf
Page Number: 15.0

Cite as:  597 U. S. ____ (2022) 

11 

Opinion of the Court 

training  missions  in  Honduras,  Congress  eliminated  the 
longstanding requirement that the military obtain consent 
from  the  relevant  Governor  before  transferring  National 
Guard members to active military service.  Id., at 346.  The 
Court rejected the notion that so holding “nullif[ied] an im-
portant state power,” instead “recogniz[ing] the supremacy
of federal power in the area of military affairs.”  Id., at 351. 
The lesson we draw from these cases is that “ ‘[t]he power 
to  wage  war  is  the  power  to  wage  war  successfully.’ ” 
Lichter,  334  U. S.,  at  780  (quoting  address  by  C.  Hughes, 
War Powers Under the Constitution (Sept. 5, 1917)).  The 
Framers  “ ‘had  emerged  from  a  long  struggle  which  had 
taught  them  the  weakness  of  a  mere  confederation,’ ”  so 
“ ‘they  established  a  Union  which  could  fight  with  the 
strength  of  one  people  under  one  government  entrusted
with the common defence.’ ”  Ibid.  Under our constitutional 
order, States may not place any “ ‘limitations inconsistent’ ” 
with Congress’ power because “ ‘every resource of the people
must be at command.’ ”  Ibid.  In short, the States agreed to
“dives[t]” themselves of “the traditional diplomatic and mil-
itary  tools  that  . . .  sovereigns  possess”—to  sacrifice  their 
sovereignty for the common defense.  Franchise Tax Bd. of 
Cal. v. Hyatt, 587 U. S. ___, ___ (2019) (slip op., at 13). 

It follows that Congress’ power to build and maintain a 
national  military  is  “complete  in  itself.”  PennEast,  594 
U. S., at ___ (slip op., at 22) (internal quotation marks omit-
ted).  Text, history, and precedent show the States agreed 
that  their  sovereignty  would  “yield  . . .  so  far  as  is  neces-
sary” to national policy to raise and maintain the military. 
Id., at ___ (slip op., at 16) (internal quotation marks omit-
ted).  And  because  States  committed  themselves  not  to 
“thwart” the exercise of this federal power, “[t]he consent of 
a State,” including to suit, “can never be a condition prece-
dent to [Congress’] enjoyment” of it.  Id., at ___, ___ (slip op., 
at  8,  10)  (internal  quotation  marks  omitted).  We  conse-
quently hold that, as part of the plan of the Convention, the