1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated November 19, 2021Defense Primer: Command and Control of Nuclear ForcesThe U.S. President has sole authority to authorize the use of U.S. nuclear weapons. This authority is inherent in his constitutional role as Commander in Chief. The President can seek counse
2、l from his military advisors; those advisors are then required to transmit and implement the orders authorizing nuclear use. But, as General John Hyten, then the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), noted, his job is to give advice, while the authority to order a launch lies with the Pres
3、ident. General Milley, the current Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), made a similar point in a memo he provided to Congress in September 2021. He noted that he is a part of the “chain of communication,” in his role as the Presidents primary military advisor, but he is not in the “chain
4、of command” for authorizing a nuclear launch. He also noted that, if the President ordered a launch, the CJCS would participate in a “decision conference” to authenticate the presidential orders and to ensure that the President was “fully informed” about the implications of the launch. The President
