# What is the U.S. military CURRENTLY being taught about obeying illegal orders? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 7, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-u-s-military-currently-being-taught-about-obeying-illegal-orders/1029104 "2026-04-07T21:25:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-u-s-military-currently-being-taught-about-obeying-illegal-orders/1029104/1 "2026-04-07T21:25:24Z")
Unless you are currently serving or have very recently left military service, “Back when I was in The Service…” stories aren’t very helpful, even when you add a “…and I imagine it it’s pretty much the same today”. Are there classes? Do the enlisted get the same message the officers receive? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-u-s-military-currently-being-taught-about-obeying-illegal-orders/1029104/2 "2026-04-07T21:29:49Z")
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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-u-s-military-currently-being-taught-about-obeying-illegal-orders/1029104/3 "2026-04-07T21:31:06Z")
I see no debate and this question was asked pretty recently. I’ll close it for now. This thread is very close and recent.: > [@Ex-military Dopers, what kind of illegal orders are you confident your peers would have disobeyed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-military-dopers-what-kind-of-illegal-orders-are-you-confident-your-peers-would-have-disobeyed/1026865): > > I know we have a sizable number of posters here on the Dope who are ex-Navy, ex-USAF, ex-Army, etc. I’m sure you would have disobeyed illegal orders from a US president or commander - but what about your peers? At the time that you served, and a president had ordered the invasion of Greenland, how confident are you that they would have refused? (Not just about Greenland, that’s just one example - you can think of 100 other different scenarios or hypotheticals.) At what level of illegal order w… ETA: In fact you even asked the question and were answered in the linked thread.