Awkward Silence On Capitol Hill As Tom Cotton Challenges Generals Over ‘Illegal Orders’

A tense moment unfolded at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when Senator Tom Cotton sharply questioned senior military nominees about whether they had ever received illegal orders during their service. One by one, the generals rejected the premise outright, reinforcing the military’s strict command discipline while Cotton openly mocked what he framed as a Democratic talking point. The exchange highlighted deeper political divides over military authority, legal oversight, and force deployment priorities as the hearing shifted toward global command pressures and China’s growing influence.
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00:00Gentlemen, thank you for your lifetime of service to our nation, and thanks to

00:06your family for putting up with your lifetime of service, and to some members

00:09of your family who are also wearing the uniform. We appreciate what you've done

00:13for our country. Congratulations on your nominations as well. I apologize. I had

00:17to step out for a few other commitments, and I can't get back and be here for

00:24fewer than two minutes without hearing the Democrats talk about illegal orders,

00:28which has been much in the news as of late. So I asked General Gio, Gio, Northcom

00:39commander, I'm not quite sure how it's pronounced, but that's the Arkansas

00:43pronunciation, whatever it is, if in his vast and storied career he had ever

00:47received an illegal order, and he said no. So General Donovan, I would like to ask you,

00:53have you ever received an illegal order? No, Senator. And you're a pretty high-speed

01:00Marine, as I understand it. You've been out on

01:04the front a lot in your lifetime. So from the time you were Lieutenant Donovan to

01:10the time now where you've got three stars and you're about to add a fourth, no one

01:15has ever given you an illegal order. No, Senator. General Rudd, you're a pretty high-speed soldier.

01:26I see a lot of impressive badges on your uniform. I think it's jump master, military free-fall

01:39jump master, more commonly known as halo. I think I even see scuba, very rare in the army, a ranger tab,

01:50a combat infantryman badge. In all of your vast military experience, have you ever

01:55received an illegal order? No, Senator. Not even from Lieutenant Rudd as

02:03quartermaster all the way up to three-star general and now about to be

02:09four-star general. No one's ever given you an illegal order? No, Senator. Well, it seems to me

02:16that our military does a very good job of training our troops from the time they enlist as privates

02:28or the time they commission as lieutenants all the way up to your level and to the commander-in-chief

02:36not to issue illegal orders.

02:38Or, especially at your level, when you have lawyers hanging around you all the time,

02:47to seek their counsel, as anyone would. I bet, as some of the politicians on this dais,

02:54understandably seek legal counsel in affairs related to their job.

03:00So I'm glad to hear from so many of our military's senior leaders that our military has done such a

03:09good job of ensuring that our troops don't receive an illegal order.

03:17General Donovan, I'd like to return to a topic that I also know has been addressed,

03:21and this is the presence of such a large number of forces in the South Com area of responsibility,

03:31and whether that drains forces from other regions like PACOM and CENTCOM.

03:37Although I have to say, I think the people asking those questions

03:41wouldn't like those forces to be employed in PACOM or CENTCOM either.

03:46It's more of a gotcha question.

03:47But understanding, General Donovan, that any combatant commander in any combatant command's

03:55answer for how many forces he needs is always going to be more pleas,

04:01could you explain a little bit about how, if confirmed, you'll manage the needs of maintaining

04:07security with the proper force posture in your area of responsibility along with those others

04:14around the world, especially in the old world at UCOM, CENTCOM, and PACOM?

04:21Senator, I'm very aware after three years, the Pentagon of the push-pull between each of the

04:26geographic combat commands and the spreading out our very, in many ways, our very high demand,

04:33low-density assets, a carry strike group, nuclear submarine, marine amphibious unit,

04:38expeditionary unit. So very aware of that natural tensions that's there, but I pledge,

04:44if confirmed, to work with the joint staff to ensure that SOUTHCOM's needs are registered and met.

04:49And if we do lose assets, what are the other capabilities we can bring to bear from other

04:55hard-powered type assets, physical assets, to increase resourcing for some of the softer power

05:00to counter the PRC-malline influence in the region?

05:04Thank you again, gentlemen, for your lifetime of service.

05:13REif

Awkward Silence On Capitol Hill As Tom Cotton Challenges Generals Over ‘Illegal Orders’ | APT

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