Perhaps the confusion stems from the difference between discretion and confirm/acknowledge? According to http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/34644 http://skepti

Perhaps the confusion stems from the difference between discretion and confirm/acknowledge? According to http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/34644 http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/34644, the order has to be acknowledged and verified, but cannot be overruled, and the second person (Secretary of Defense) is there to verify it, rather than check for whether it makes sense.