The top commander of U.S. nuclear forces says he would push back if President Donald Trump asked him to carry out an order he deemed “illegal”.
Air Force Gen. John E. 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.
In the event that Trump decided to launch a nuclear attack, Hyten would provide him with strike options, and the president would make his decision.
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Hyten says if he believed Trump’s order violated the laws of armed conflict, he would tell him so and present him with legal alternatives.
Hyten would be in charge of U.S. nuclear forces in a war.