Analysis: BiPartisan Concern Among Troops Over Unlawful Orders
A new analysis from Human Security Lab, published in World Politics Review by Professor Charli Carpenter and doctoral researchers Geraldine Santoso and Heather Kumove, shows that even US troops who voted for Trump are concerned about the possibility of being ordered to violate international law and / or the Constitution.
The lab surveyed over 800 active-duty servicemembers in July 2025, first asking them to define conditions under which they would find an order so obviously unlawful they would feel compelled to disobey. Troops wrote in many answers, citing the Geneva Conventions or Constitution, or naming scenarios where they would disobey. They were also asked about specific scenarios, such as nuclear-bombing civilian cities or shooting civilian protesters. Only a tiny minority - 9% - stated that they would obey any order given.
A more recent analysis examined demographic information in search of any partisan divide on the issue, and found none. As reported in World Politics Review, “The data show no statistically significant difference on party lines between those who said they would disobey unlawful orders and the 9 percent of respondents who said they would obey any order. In fact, the overall sentiment of Republican service members, including those who voted for Trump, are very similar to that of the overall population of troops polled.”
The follow-up study was prompted after the Lab received numerous calls from journalists in the wake of a video published by several Democratic leaders urging military troops to obey only lawful orders. President Trump threatened the senators with execution for treason and shared a tweet suggesting that Democratic senators should be hanged. Yet according to data from Human Security Lab, Trump’s own supporters believe the law should be followed and that even wars have limits.
For example, one Republican service member who voted for Trump in 2024 replied, “I would disobey any order that involves harming innocent civilians, torture, or violating human rights, as these are clearly illegal and immoral. Upholding the law and ethical duty must come before blind obedience to authority.” Another Trump-voting service member said, “An order that violates basic ethical principles or the law would leave no room for compliance.” A third wrote they would not participate in “the oppression or harming of US civilians that clearly goes against the Constitution.” Another said, “Anything putting the civilians in danger is against what I signed up for. We are meant to protect.”