Retired Major General Randy Miller has shared his insights on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “No Rules of Engagement” comment. He also alleged that members of the U.S. Military were “saying no” to his orders.
Miller appeared in an interview with MS Now, where the interviewer asked him to comment on Hegseth’s previously mentioned statement. He first acknowledged the American soldiers who’d lost their lives as a result of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Next, he “very clearly” expressed his thoughts about Hegseth. He stated, “The words of the Secretary of Defense are absolutely the words of potential war criminals.” He further explained that President Donald Trump wouldn’t be able to protect Hegseth from his alleged war crimes.
Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, the service’s top uniformed officer, to step down from his position and retire immediately, the Pentagon said Thursday.
ABC News’ Martha Raddatz reports. https://t.co/tKti8YJUb1 pic.twitter.com/CZ8qLdXf71
— ABC News (@ABC) April 3, 2026
He bluntly said, “The president cannot protect this secretary of defense…” Miller presented a hypothetical scenario in which Hegseth could be found guilty of a war crime. He suggested that the International War Tribunal might consider trying Hegseth for human rights crimes as a war crime.
Next, MS Now reporters asked Miller to comment on Hegseth and Trump’s claims about reportedly having “unlimited ammunition and finances,” and the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States.
Once more, Miller didn’t hold back on his thoughts. He claimed that both Hegseth’s and Trump’s remarks were “political propaganda and lies.” Hegseth’s remarks have reportedly sparked controversy not only from Miller but also among MAGA critics.
Hegseth: “You see, had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure, targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild. We were locked and loaded. President Trump had the power to cripple… pic.twitter.com/qABlMhkVLP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 8, 2026
In a more recent interview with Deadline: White House, he said the military had reportedly questioned Hegseth’s orders. The news segment’s host, Nicole Wallace, prompted the response by referring to the recent threats made by Trump about Iran. Additionally, they discussed the civilian targets.
Firstly, Miller revealed that he had indications that CENTCOM (The United States Central Command) allegedly “rejected” orders regarding the targeting of civilian targets. He also added that within the command, there was “silent resistance.”
Miller explained, “I believe that people are already saying no to the hierarchy…” Miller did not clarify whether they were refusing orders from immediate superiors or Hegseth and Trump. But he did reiterate the alleged pushback.
Q: Are there certain kinds of civilians targets like schools or hospitals that are off limits?
TRUMP: I don’t want to tell you that. We have a plan where every bridge and power plant in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night pic.twitter.com/Rqt4qSr2Lj
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 6, 2026
Once more, Miller said, “I believe that there are very subtle pushbacks that have already been occurring to go after military targets.” Lastly, Miller had a rather comical pop-culture comparison that he made.
He compared the shift in targets to a ‘Jedi mind trick,’ a reference to Star Wars. Before concluding his remarks, he clarified that he didn’t mean to be comical about it, but said he believed that was what was happening between Hegseth and those working in the U.S. Military.
In the end, Miller mentioned that, despite his thoughts, he remained uncertain about whether Trump would truly order a civilian target or whether Hegseth would order the military to carry it out.
