Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), ex-naval officer and astronaut, has strongly criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent call for “no quarter” for US enemies at a press briefing at the Pentagon. According to The Guardian, his warning is simple but damning. Such an order would violate international law if followed by troops.
Kelly took to X to express his dismay. He stated, “‘No quarter’ isn’t some wanna be tough guy line – it means something. An order to give no quarter would mean to take no prisoners and kill them instead.” The senator emphasized that this would directly violate the law of armed conflict, making it an illegal order. It would put American service members at greater risk, adding that Hegseth “should know better than to throw around terms like this.”
