There is an increasing apprehension among service members that they may be asked to carry out an illegal order, amid reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered troops to “kill everybody” in a boat strike in September.
The concerns, reflected in an uptick in calls to the Orders Project — which provides free legal advice to military personnel — come from the likes of staff officers involved in planning the strikes on supposed drug-carrying boats and those in charge of designating those on the vessels as a threat in order to carry out such attacks.
Even as a reported Justice Department classified memo from this summer preemptively argued that U.S. troops involved in the strikes would not be in legal jeopardy, service members appear far more concerned than usual that the U.S. military may be opening them up to legal harm, according to Frank Rosenblatt, president of the National Institute of Military Justice, which runs the Orders Project.
Not that Hegseth, Trump, or those who love them give one little shit about things like this, but I’ll point out the part of the War Manual where DOUBLE TAPPING SHIPWRECK SURVIVORS IS THE LITERAL EXAMPLE OF AN ILLEGAL ORDER
here’s a really good writeup that leaves no question in my mind about the unlawful nature of this, even though we are not in a state of war (so it’s not a war crime, just a crime crime): https://www.justsecurity.org/125948/illegal-orders-shipwrecked-boat-strike-survivors/
This was all foreseeable long in advance:
We also don’t fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement, just common sense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters.
Pete Hegseth [Source]
It is, after all, a criminal regime. Anyone who supports it is complicit and should bear in mind that it will not be those at the top who bear the consequences.
Even as a reported Justice Department classified memo from this summer preemptively argued that U.S. troops involved in the strikes would not be in legal jeopardy, service members appear far more concerned than usual that the U.S. military may be opening them up to legal harm
As they should be. “Just following orders” is no defense to war crimes.
I hope they all noticed Pete Hegseth is a coward who immediately tried to blame it on the guy he ordered. If an order is at all questionable, you will be hung out to dry. Blame only goes downhill
“Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional and has my 100 percent support,” Hegseth wrote on social media. “I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since.”
it wasn’t me<<
How about if everybody just collectively ignores Trump’s authority
Hmm. I wonder if this video was posted in preparation for them looking into this?
Don’t fucking fear it. Pay attention and deny them when they skulk around
#GOOD
Are the soldiers obligated to rescue shipwrecked survivors? I ask because, if not, this seems bizarrely stupid (or right in line for this admin). They could just leave them in the water and it would probably accomplish the same thing (I don’t approve of it, to be clear, but it seems less shortsighted). Even if they are, they could pretend not to notice them.
Good
Just don’t do the bad thing. There ya go, soldiers, fixed that connumdrum for ya.
This isn’t medieval fantasy where not listening will get the evil wizard king to kill you with arcane spells beyond your comprehension. The US is still barely clinging onto the last, thin shred of civility required which makes it so that you will not need to fear for your life if you tell someone to take their warcrime and go fuck themselves with it. Hegseth is a drunkard who can’t even do a pull-up, you’ll be fine.
