Air Force Gen. John Hyten, the top U.S. nuclear commander, said he would decline an "illegal" nuclear launch if President Donald Trump called for one, the Washington Examiner reported Saturday.
Hyten, who is head of the U.S. Strategic Command, made the remarks at the Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Saturday. He is in charge of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
"I think some people think we're stupid. We're not stupid people. We think about these things a lot. When you have this responsibility, how do you not think about it?" Hyten said.
"I provide advice to the president, he will tell me what to do," Hyten explained. "And if it's illegal, guess what's going to happen? I'm going to say, 'Mr. President, that's illegal.' And guess what he's going to do? He's going to say, 'What would be legal?' And we'll come up with options, with a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is. And that's the way it works. It's not that complicated."
Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un have continued their heated verbal exchanges over their country's nuclear weapons program. Hyten said the U.S. was ready to counter "any event that comes out of North Korea," but stressed the importance of diplomacy.
"President Trump by himself can't change the behavior of Kim Jong Un," Hyten said. "But, President Trump can create the conditions that the international community can reach out in different ways where we can work with the Republic of Korea, where we can work with our neighbors in the region."
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