General: Jag skulle vägra en olaglig kärnvapenorder

General John E. Hyten (born c. 1959) is a United States Air Force general. He currently serves as the Commander, United States Strategic Command. Before that, he was commanding Air Force Space Command. Hyten assumed his current position on 3 November 2016. On 9 April 2014, Hyten was confirmed by the Senate for promotion to the rank of General and appointment as Commander, Air Force Space Command. On 15 March 2013, it was announced that Hyten had been nominated to be Commander, Fourteenth Air Force and Joint Functional Component Command for Space, U.S. Strategic Command. This would have had him swapping jobs with the incumbent Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms. However, Helms' nomination was put on hold by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill resulting in the withdrawal of the nomination and leading to the retirement of Helms. The general's staff assignments include tours with the Air Force Secretariat, the Air Staff, the Joint Staff and the Commander's Action Group at Headquarters Air Force Space Command as Director. He served as mission director in Cheyenne Mountain and was the last active-duty commander of the 6th Space Operations Squadron at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. In 2006, he deployed to Southwest Asia as Director of Space Forces for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. General Hyten commanded the 595th Space Group and the 50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB, Colo. Prior to assuming command of Air Force Space Command, he served as the Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command. General Hyten was nominated for reassignment to head the U.S. Strategic Command on 8 September 2016. This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 28 September 2016 after a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on 20 September 2016. The change of command ceremony occurred on 3 November 2016.

United States Strategic Command, Förenta staternas strategiska kommando, (USSTRATCOM) är ett av USA:s försvarsgrensövergripande militärkommandon, som ansvarar för kärnvapenarsenalen, försvarets rymdoperationer samt för cyberrymden. Militärbefälhavaren för USSTRATCOM lyder direkt under USA:s försvarsminister. USSTRATCOM skapades 1992 som en enhetlig ledningsfunktion för den - efter det kalla krigets slut - återstående triaden av kärnvapenbestyckade styrkor. Flygvapnets strategiska bombflyg och Interkontinentala ballistiska robotar tillhörde innan dess Strategic Air Command (SAC) och flottans strategiska robotbestyckade atomubåtar var separat underställda Atlant- och Stillahavsflottornas respektive befälhavare. I oktober 2002 fusionerades USSTRATCOM med United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), som mellan 1985 och 2002 ansvarade för försvarets satelliter, rymdoperationer och informationskrigföring. Liksom sin föregångare SAC har USSTRATCOM sitt högkvarter beläget på Offutt Air Force Base i delstaten Nebraska.