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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump can launch nuclear weapons whenever he wants, with or without Mattis
No defense secretary can stop an impulsive president.By Bruce Blair and Jon Wolfsthal December 23 at 6:00 AM
The abrupt and pointed resignation of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on Thursday alarmed official Washington. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) called him an an island of stability amid the chaos of the Trump administration. Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) told The Washington Post that having Mattis there gave all of us a great deal more comfort than we have now.
Mattiss departure seems to be provoking unease, especially considering how dangerous our nuclear-command arrangements are. The notion that Mattis, a former four-star Marine Corps general, could have blocked or defied a move by Trump to impulsively launch nuclear weapons may have seemed comforting, but it shouldnt have been. The secretary of defense has no legal position in the nuclear chain of command, and any attempts by a secretary of defense to prevent the president from exercising the authority to use nuclear weapons would be undemocratic and illegal. With or without Mattis, the president has unchecked and complete authority to launch nuclear weapons based on his sole discretion.
The reaction to Mattiss resignation, however, could open the door for the new Congress to create long-overdue legal barriers preventing the president from initiating a nuclear strike. Such a step could be implemented without any negative impact on U.S. security or that of our allies.
Mattiss departure seems to be provoking unease, especially considering how dangerous our nuclear-command arrangements are. The notion that Mattis, a former four-star Marine Corps general, could have blocked or defied a move by Trump to impulsively launch nuclear weapons may have seemed comforting, but it shouldnt have been. The secretary of defense has no legal position in the nuclear chain of command, and any attempts by a secretary of defense to prevent the president from exercising the authority to use nuclear weapons would be undemocratic and illegal. With or without Mattis, the president has unchecked and complete authority to launch nuclear weapons based on his sole discretion.
The reaction to Mattiss resignation, however, could open the door for the new Congress to create long-overdue legal barriers preventing the president from initiating a nuclear strike. Such a step could be implemented without any negative impact on U.S. security or that of our allies.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/12/23/trump-can-launch-nuclear-weapons-whenever-he-wants-with-or-without-mattis/
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Trump can launch nuclear weapons whenever he wants, with or without Mattis (Original Post)
workinclasszero
Dec 2018
OP
Anyone in the room with a decent right hook can stop a president from launching nukes.
Runningdawg
Dec 2018
#1
Runningdawg
(4,516 posts)1. Anyone in the room with a decent right hook can stop a president from launching nukes.
If I believed in God I would pray there is still a person with the balls to do it left in the WH.
empedocles
(15,751 posts)2. Too many scary reports, these last few days especially.