US nuclear commander would resist ‘illegal’ order for strike
Top Strategic Command officer says he would not allow President Trump to carry out attack that didn't follow legal protocol
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The top officer at US Strategic Command 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.
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.
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 has urged to adopt a united front against the threat posed by isolated North Korea, which has sparked global alarm with its nuclear and missile tests in recent months.
Last week he warned world leaders gathered in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang that the Asia-Pacific region “must not be held hostage to a dictator’s twisted fantasies.”
Pyongyang issued a retort branding Trump’s Asia tour a “warmonger’s visit for confrontation to rid the DPRK of its self-defensive nuclear deterrence,” in the first comments on the trip by a North Korean official.
It said Trump’s warnings “can never frighten us or put a stop to our advance,” according to the foreign ministry spokesman.
Tensions over the North’s weapons program have surged in recent months, as Pyongyang carried out a sixth nuclear test — by far its largest to date — and test-fired dozens of missiles, some capable of reaching the US mainland.
Times of Israel staff have contributed to this report.