Reply #19: "Should people in the U.S. military disobey orders that they believe are illegal?" [View All]

http://npc.press.org/index.cfm?theday=17&&themonth=2&&theyear=2006

At the luncheon of the National Press Club on Feb. 17, 2006, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, was asked by his interviewer, John Donnelly: "Should people in the U.S. military disobey orders that they believe are illegal?" Pace's response:

"It is the absolute responsibility of everybody in uniform to disobey an order that is either illegal or immoral."

Thank you, Gen. Pace. Donnelly didn't follow up on his question, so I will, trusting that your answers to my questions will represent your core beliefs, stated on earlier occasions. Gen. Pace, how does your Feb. 17 statement apply to a situation in which troops are ordered to use certain weapons?

Pace: "They will be held accountable for the decisions they make. So they should in fact not obey the illegal and immoral orders to use weapons of mass destruction."

Now what about the commanders that receive orders from their superiors?

Pace: "I believe that a lot of the commanders, in fact, do recognize that they do have a free choice in this, that they should not execute orders that are illegal and immoral, such as any order to use any kind of a weapon of mass destruction."

But aren't commanders supposed to follow orders from their superiors, including the president and the secretary of defense?

Pace: "They can still not commit crimes against humanity. They can still not execute any kinds of orders that might tell them to use weapons of mass destruction."

And will these choices affect their future?

Pace: "hey still have very clear choices to make, and their choices will have major impact, both on the troops who look to them for leadership right now and on their own personal fate when this is all over."

And Gen. Pace, do you trust U.S. servicemen and women to do the right thing?

Pace: "I think that there are Iraqi soldiers out there who know what is right and who will in fact disobey illegal and immoral orders."