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The US Department of Defense acknowledges in its law manual that "the law of war governs the use of nuclear weapons".
The responsibility to obey the law "runs from the top down - right down to the crew member on the submarine".
If the president orders an illegal strike, anyone who carries out that order is potentially liable for war crimes.
They'd have a duty to say "no".
In the real world, it would not be an easy thing to stop.
First one officer says it is a war crime, he’s relieved of command and perhaps more till you get to Bork, who pushes the button because he believes the president has complete control without question.
An unprovoked nuclear strike with the accompanying collateral damage would be considered by most of the world to be a war crime, there’s no exception for the guy with a bigger button.
General Milley worked within the rules, luckily nothing happened.
The same concerns were there in the last days of the Nixon presidency.
As far as talking to his equal in the Chinese armed forces, the SECDEF knew, it happened in a room full of members of various agencies and a readout was produced and distributed.
Now do TFGs meeting with Putin, with no one and no notes
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device
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