Trump critics note with alarm that an American president does not need the approval of Congress, his cabinet or any other entity to order the use of nuclear weapons—although in theory, his defense secretary could refuse to transmit a launch order down the military chain of command.
Gen. Mattis will be the Secretary of Defense. It is widely reported that near the end of Richard Nixon's Presidency, when he was drinking heavily and depressed, the Defense Secretary James Schlesinger instructed the military not to act on any orders by the President to launch nuclear weapons without first clearing it with him.
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