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U.S. military law on refusing orders

The U.S. military law requires service members to obey lawful orders and refuse unlawful ones, with the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Manual for Courts-Martial providing guidelines.

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Jan 12, 2026
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What legal protections and penalties exist for service members who refuse orders they reasonably believe are unlawful?

U.S. military law draws a clear line: service members are required to obey lawful orders and have a duty to refuse orders that are unlawful, especially those that are "manifestly unlawful" (e.g., orde...