Posted on 11/18/2017 6:58:35 PM PST by Liberty7732
Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told a security conference in Nova Scotia that he would refuse to obey an "illegal" order from Donald Trump to launch nuclear weapons.
Asked if he has given much thought to how he would handle a nuclear strike order from President Trump that he thinks is unlawful, Hyten, who oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal, answered, "I think some people think we're stupid. We're not stupid people. We think about these things a lot. When you have this responsibility, how do you not think about it?"
"I provide advice to the president, he will tell me what to do," Hyten said. "And if it's illegal, guess what's going to happen? I'm going to say, 'Mr. President, that's illegal.' And guess what he's going to do? He's going to say, 'What would be legal?' And we'll come up options, with a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is, and that's the way it works. It's not that complicated."
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Please read beyond the headline. I spent 20 years in the Army, with a good part of it being in nuclear capable artillery units. There is a procedure for the authorization for the use of nuclear weapons that is to be followed. This general is, in my view, saying that he will follow procedures and 2) read the 3d paragraph:
“I provide advice to the president, he will tell me what to do,” Hyten said. “And if it’s illegal, guess what’s going to happen? I’m going to say, ‘Mr. President, that’s illegal.’ And guess what he’s going to do? He’s going to say, ‘What would be legal?’ And we’ll come up options, with a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is, and that’s the way it works. It’s not that complicated.”
These liberal reporters are asking leading questions to cause trouble and bait reactions such as yours. If I were still in and the president ordered me to kill civilians or prisoners of war, I would refuse to obey him because such an order is illegal under the UCMJ. Thus am I a ‘perfumed prince’ or ‘deserved to get my ass kicked’ because I refused to obey an illegal order?
Would someone please define for me what an “illegal order” from the Commander in Chief to one of his generals would be? I confess I’m at a loss. Any experts in the house?
What's an example of an illegal decision by the CIC?
Should be replaced immediately, retire or be courts martialed. Trump and others cannot have a disloyal general.
There should not have been any quote because there should not
have been an interview with this reposter. Very poor judgement.
And this General will pay a price for it in the near future.
“What’s an example of an illegal decision by the CIC?”
Nuke San Francisco.
Or “Bomb a bunch of dams to show a country we’re not at war with that we are serious.”
Realistically, the calls tend to be less obvious. Bottom line: You can be punished for disobeying a legal order, and punished for obeying an illegal one. So it behooves you to know something about the law of armed conflict if you are dealing with these decisions.
He should be fired.
The general never should have discussed nuclear weapons processes in public. He should be relieved of command. What he’s trying to get at is policy, specifically first strike use, such as on the Norks by Trump. It’s clear to me he disagrees with that option — same B.S. Congress is trying to do.
Hyten is a Harvard grad, non-aviator/non-missilier, with no combat experience and not one assignment outside of CONUS. A maximum Obama weenie.
Agreed. Such disclosure is BS, and if I’m not mistaken, Trump spoke out against during the POTUS campaign.
Must be an O’Bambi hold over...Retire his @$$
WTF is an Air Force General doing at a foreign conference that is not secure in the first place? The USA needs to tighten up its military from the top down ASAP. The Cult of Personality can be charming amongst politicians but not those entrusted to maintain national security. If any member of the media wants to cover military matters, the portal for info should be the DOD PR department.
first strike against Canada.
bump for later
"Nuke NYC. I don't like DeBlasio." Maybe illegal?
Yet another misleading headline to sensationalize and mislead the public.
Question is....who determines if the order is legal?
Top general says he would resist "illegal" nuke order from Trump
CBS .com ^ | 11/18/17 | KATHRYN WATSON
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3605967/posts?q=1&;page=1
Read this comment, what the general ACTUALLY SAID. Makes total sense.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3605967/posts?page=26#26
The media is twisting this to make him sound insubordinate. Read the whole thing he said:
***
I provide advice to the president, he will tell me what to do, Hyten added. And if its illegal, guess whats going to happen? Im going to say, Mr. President, thats illegal. And guess what hes going to do? Hes going to say, What would be legal? And well come up options, with a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is, and thats the way it works. Its not that complicated.
Hyten said he has been trained every year for decades in the law of armed conflict, which takes into account specific factors to determine legality necessity, distinction, proportionality, unnecessary suffering and more. Running through scenarios of how to react in the event of an illegal order is standard practice, he said.
No kidding. Anything to make Trump look bad, his adminstration look chaotic and rebellious, etc.
I hope that ahole is fired already. He damn sure should be.
He should be fired and made to drive a truck as another person who questioned a different President was fired and drove a truck instead.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.