More than that - service members are legally REQUIRED TO REFUSE to carry out unlawful orders.
“More than that - service members are legally REQUIRED TO REFUSE to carry out unlawful orders.”
As it stands, is it always “unlawful” to fire on American citizens?
In my army years I received two very different briefings about this.
The first was in ROTC before the My Lai massacre was revealed. I was told that all orders were to be followed to the letter. If I felt an order was illegal, I could protest in writing -- but only after that order had been carried out to the letter. It was up to higher headquarters to determine what was illegal, not me.
My second briefing was at the Signal Officers Basic Course at Fort Gordon in 1971, after My Lai was revealed. The JAG presentation said we were not to follow illegal orders, but as far as how to determine whether an order was illegal or not, I received a lot of weasel words from military lawyers. As a result, I left that class more confused than when I came in.
I don't know what the rules are now, but I don't see people questioning orders or disobeying them.