Nothing to stop a trigger-happy President Trump

Khun Songdej Praditsmanont cited retired General Michael Hayden as saying that the US military would likely refuse to follow certain orders given by Donald Trump if he were elected to the White House. Sounds provocative, doesn’t it? But what exactly are the “certain orders”? 

Here’s how it actually happened. On an HBO news programme, the host quoted Trump as saying that, “Family members of terrorists should be killed.” Hayden responded, “If he were to order that once in government, the American armed forces would refuse to act. You are required not to follow an unlawful order.” And the Geneva Convention bans targeting terrorists’ family members.

Khun Songdej made it sound like the US armed forces could defy the White House at will. Five-star General Douglas MacArthur is a good example of a top soldier who disobeyed a presidential order. Harry Truman sacked him for doing so. Too bad the US doesn’t have administrative courts like we do. Otherwise Truman himself may have ended up being fired.

Somsak Pola