In this photo, taken on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, Air Force Gen. John Hyten, the incoming commander of the United States Strategic Command, speaks to reporters following a change of command ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska. On Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, Hyten says an order from President Donald Trump or any of his successors to launch nuclear weapons can be refused if that order is determined to be illegal. (Photo by NATI HARNIK / AP)
Published: 7:05 a.m., Nov. 19, 2017 | Updated: 5:15 p.m., Nov. 19, 2017
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The top officer at US Strategic Command said Saturday an order from President Donald Trump or any of his successors to launch nuclear weapons can be refused if that order is determined to be illegal.
Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of Strategic Command, told a panel at the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday that he and Trump have had conversations about such a scenario and that he would tell Trump he couldn’t carry out an illegal strike.
“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?’” Hyten said.
“And we’ll come up with options with a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is, and that’s the way it works.”
In the event that Trump decided to launch a nuclear attack, Hyten would provide him with strike options that are legal.
The command would control nuclear forces in a war.
The comments come as the threat of nuclear attack from North Korea remains a serious concern and Trump’s critics question his temperament.
Trump’s taunting tweets aimed at Pyongyang have sparked concerns primarily among congressional Democrats that he may be inciting a war with North Korea.
During testimony before the Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month, retired Gen. Robert Kehler who served as the head of Strategic Command from January 2011 to November 2013, also said the US armed forces are obligated to follow legal orders, not illegal ones.
Hyten said he’s talked it over with Trump.
“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?” he said.
He said he would not obey an illegal order.
“You could go to jail for the rest of your life,” he said. /cbb
A target selector is seen at the commander’s console inside a Titan II silo’s control center at the Titan Missile Museum on May 12, 2015 in Green Valley, Arizona. The museum is located in a preserved Titan II ICBM launch complex and is devoted to educating visitors about the Cold War and the Titan II missile’s contribution as a nuclear deterrent. AFP PHOTO/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP PHOTO / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI