It is my recollection that there are times when it is illegal to follow an such as "Shoot the man standing next to you." Is this covered in the UCMJ?
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You are taught and obligated to refuse any order that you feel is illegal, unlawful, or contrary to military order and discipline.
Now, AFTER you decide to disobey that order it is your responsibility to prove that you were correct or at least had every reason to believe the order was illegal. It's a crapshoot.
Incidentally, you have the right to have any order you receive given to you in writing. If the person in authority refuses to give you that order in writing (paper trail) you are not obligated to obey that order.
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Because it is never ok. You may think you are a lawyer and you know which orders are lawful and which one isn't. You'll find yourself in a world of doodoo if you disobey an order; it will be up to you to prove it was an unlawful order. Can you imagine being in a court where Bush is the judge and you are going to prove his invasion of Iraq was unlawful?
You've got to be kidding.
calisurfergirl43
it is never ok not to disobey and order you could be court martialed. Most military people when they do this pay the price in the end. Seems wrong but that's what you do when you join the military
Anonymous
For what I know there are very few exceptions in which a soldier is legally entitled to refusing his/her superiors orders. Following an order which would violate international human rights law for example may be one exception, etc.
lana_sands
You must follow all lawful orders. Your order is thus not valid. That is what the book says.