The commander of the U. S. nuclear arsenal says he would not blindly carry out an ordered strike by President Donald Trump.
The commander of the U. S. nuclear arsenal says he would not blindly carry out an ordered strike by President Donald Trump.
General John Hyten says he’s well aware of the rules of engagement with nuclear weapons, telling an audience of senior political, military and diplomatic officials gathered in Halifax that he’s thought about this a lot.
„If you execute an unlawful order you will go to jail, you could go to jail for the rest of your life,“ he said during a panel discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum.
„The way the process works is simple. I provide advice to the president and he will tell me what to do. And if it’s illegal… I’m going to say ‚Mr. President, it’s illegal‘ and you know what he’s going to do. He’s going to say ‚What would be legal?‘ and we’ll come up with options, a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is,“ Hyten said.
„And that’s the way it works.“
Tensions over North Korea’s nuclear intentions remain high, and there are concerns that Trump’s exchange of threats and personal insults with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un makes the situation even more unstable.
Hyten says his role is to provide the room for diplomacy and sanctions to work.
