Commander in chief A commander in chief ( abbreviated CinC or CINC or CNC ) was the supreme commander of an entire military or other type of service organization . If the person occupying this position was within the military hierarchy , they were the senior flag officer and by definition had the highest service rank possible . On Earth , the President of the United States also served as the commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States , a role Abraham Lincoln fulfilled " during the four bloodiest years " of American history . ( ) Starfleet ' s commander in chief was a position held by the senior fleet admiral , who took orders only from the Federation Council and its president . ( ) In the first half of the 23rd century , this position was held by Gene Roddenberry . ( ) Mirror universe . In the 23rd century , in the mirror universe , the commander in chief of the Imperial Starfleet was . His name appeared on the dedication plaque of the . ( ) Years later , rose to the position of commander in chief sometime between the 2260s and the 2360s . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The was played by Leon Russom , and was never identified by his full name . In the script , however , he is labeled as the " Commander in Chief " . ( " The novelization of " Star Trek VI " established his last name as Smillie . " ) His uniform was notably different to that of other flag officers by having two stripes of gold piping around the tunic flap instead of just one ( as the other admirals and commodores wore ) , three gold soutaches on his pants stripe ( as opposed to one for commodores and admirals and two for fleet admirals ) and a much larger fleet admiral insignia on his sleeve . Fleet Admiral Harry Morrow , who was identified as " Commander , Starfleet " in , might have been the commander in chief of Starfleet . The " Star Trek III " establishes that he was and the " Star Trek IV " establishes that Cartwright had succeeded him during the time Kirk and crew were on . In a later production , , the Federation President , Jaresh - Inyo , identifies himself as Vice Admiral Leyton ' s " commander in chief . " This could mean that the president has the right to consider himself " commander in chief of the Federation " , or its services , even though the post of " commander in chief of Starfleet " was a separate position within the subordinate organization . It could also mean that the Federation had a similar structure to the current United States with civilian overview by the president serving as commander in chief , and theater - wide commanders also known as commander in chief . In , Leyton , whose title is Chief of Starfleet Operations , does not seem to have any superior other than the president , so his position seems equivalent to the earlier commander in chief . It should be noted that when Admiral Kirk held the position of Chief of Starfleet Operations , he did have a superior , Admiral Nogura . The possibility also exists that a person who has risen to the position of commander in chief of Starfleet might also be allowed to run for and be elected to the position of Federation president , holding both offices simultaneously . However , the enormously difficult division of labor and potential conflicts of interest which would result seem to make such a scenario unlikely . Moreover , according to Leyton ' s accusation and his own admission , President Jaresh - Inyo was not particularly adept at or enamored of military affairs , a fact that subverts the possibility of him holding both the offices of president and Starfleet commander in chief simultaneously . On the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction , a rank braid was sold , with its information indicating that it was created for use in the movies , but was ultimately unused .