He said he would state his case to the POTUS and if POTUS was unswayed and the lawyers say it is a legal order he would execute the launch.
So he thinks he is one on one with the CIC. Nonsense, he would be lucky to talk one on one with Mattis if he were not arrested before that. He needs to go.
My experience with nukes is vastly different than yours.
Decision to launch sent to nuke commander and the troops in the hole. They have a legal obligation to ask the question if there is a question of legality, and yes, that includes the NCA (POTUS is part of this).
Won’t go into training scenarios, sensitive information, and the question of launching is always part of the scenario(s).
Nothing new here.
Always been that way for decades and decades and decades.