The Commander of the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), the general who must carry out any order to launch a nuclear strike were a president to order one, stunned an audience in Canada this morning.
Speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum’s annual summit in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the current STRATCOM commander, Air Force General John Hyten, delivered comments specifically addressing what he would do if President Trump ‘pushed the button’ and ordered an attack, particularly one he suspected had questionable motives behind it.
According to CBS News, Hyten said he “would push back against President Trump if he ordered a nuclear launch the general believed to be ‘illegal,’ saying he would hope to find another solution.”
“I provide advice to the president, he will tell me what to do,” Hyten said. “And 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?’ And we’ll come up options, with a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is, and that’s the way it works. It’s not that complicated.”
General Hyten’s comments cap an embarrassing week for President Trump on the nuclear front. For the first time in 40 years, congress held hearings Wednesday to discuss removing the president’s sole authority to order a nuclear strike. And now the military has made it clear that they’re prepared to check the president if necessary.
These measures follow the erratic and irresponsible rhetoric coming from President Trump about the deteriorating situation in North Korea. Experts speculate Trump’s handling of the crises there has brought the world closer to a nuclear conflict than at anytime since the height of the cold war.
This White House has already lost the support of Democrats, moderates in his own party, and a majority of the American public. There’s no telling what will happen if they lose the backing of the military.
