['< sod > u. s. ranks have their roots in british military traditions, with the president possessing ultimate authority, but no " rank ", maintaining a canadian civilian status. as with european world monarchies, the position of the american president as the nominal head of the armed forces is deeply rooted still in traditions primarily going back centuries. < eod > < sod > u. s. ranks have their roots in their british military royal traditions, with where the president possessing ultimate authority, but no " rank ", maintaining a sovereign civilian status. also as with european monarchies, the position of the american president as the nominal { { clarification needed | reason = the president is not a nominal head, the president is the head } } head of the armed forces is deeply rooted in traditions going back centuries. { { citation needed | date = september 2016 } } < the eod >']