Hegseth Demands Military Refuse Illegal Orders, Omits Why They'd Get Them
Hegseth, notably accused of involvement in possible war crimes himself regarding the conditions of detainees in Iraq during his service, previously preached about the military's responsibility to ignore illegal commands. The framing here suggests this principled stance was unique to theoretical Trump directives. Yet, the military justice system, specifically Article 92 of the Uniform Code of
Military Justice, requires precisely this: refusal of illegal orders, regardless of who issues them. Why the selective outrage? The media's short-term memory ensures we ignore the numerous allegations of unlawful orders given and followed in decades of US military interventions (Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, drone strikes on civilians). Apparently, a soldier's moral compass only spins left when
convenient for a specific news cycle.