Explanation:
From the Washington Administration to the present, Congress and the President have enacted 11
separate formal declarations of war against foreign nations in five different wars. Each
declaration has been preceded by a presidential request either in writing or in person before a
joint session of Congress. The reasons cited in justification for the requests have included armed
attacks on United States territory or its citizens and threats to United States rights or interests as a
sovereign nation.
Congress and the President have also enacted authorizations for the use of force rather than
formal declarations of war. Such measures have generally authorized the use of force against
either a named country or unnamed hostile nations in a given region. In most cases, the President
has requested the authority, but Congress has sometimes given the President less than what he
asked for. Not all authorizations for the use of force have resulted in actual combat. Both
declarations and authorizations require the signature of the President in order to become law.
In contrast to an authorization, a declaration of war in itself creates a state of war under
international law and legitimates the killing of enemy combatants, the seizure of enemy property,
and the apprehension of enemy aliens. While a formal declaration was once deemed a necessary
legal prerequisite to war and was thought to terminate diplomatic and commercial relations and
most treaties between the combatants, declarations have fallen into disuse since World War II.
The laws of war, such as the Hague and Geneva Conventions, apply to circumstances of armed
conflict whether or not a formal declaration or authorization was issued.
With respect to domestic law, a declaration of war automatically triggers many standby statutory
authorities conferring special powers on the President with respect to the military, foreign trade,
transportation, communications, manufacturing, alien enemies, etc. In contrast, no standby
authorities appear to be triggered automatically by an authorization for the use of force, although
the executive branch has argued, with varying success, that the authorization to use force in
response to the terrorist attacks of 2001 provided a statutory exception to certain statutory
prohibitions.
Most statutory standby authorities do not expressly require a declaration of war to be actualized
but can be triggered by a declaration of national emergency or simply by the existence of a state
of war; however, courts have sometimes construed the word “war” in a statute as implying a
formal declaration, leading Congress to enact clarifying amendments in two cases. Declarations
of war and authorizations for the use of force waive the time limitations otherwise applicable to
the use of force imposed by the War Powers Resolution.
This report provides historical background on the enactment of declarations of war and
authorizations for the use of force and analyzes their legal effects under international and
domestic law. It also sets forth their texts in two appendices. The report includes an extensive
listing and summary of statutes that are triggered by a declaration of war, a declaration of national
emergency, and/or the existence of a state of war. The report concludes with a summary of the
congressional procedures applicable to the enactment of a declaration of war or authorization for
the use of force and to measures under the War Powers Resolution. The report will be updated as
circumstances warrant.
