Story highlights America's highest-ranking general calls torture, targeting civilians "'inconsistent with the values of our nation"

The issue of torture has been debated during the presidential primaries

Washington (CNN) America's highest-ranking military officer, Gen. Joseph Dunford, said Thursday that the intentional targeting of civilians, waterboarding and other forms of torture were "inconsistent with the values of our nation" and "would have an adverse effect" on U.S. military operations and troop morale.

Dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, was responding to a question posed by Lindsey Graham while testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the defense budget.

"Some have suggested that we intentionally target civilians in the war on terror and we go back to using waterboarding or maybe even more aggressive interrogation techniques," the South Carolina Republican said. "What effect if any would this have on the war fighter?"

Dunford responded, "Those kind of activities that you've described, they're inconsistent with the values of our nation and quite frankly I think it would have an adverse effect."

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had previously expressed support for aggressive interrogations and targeting families of terrorists. While Trump later said he would never instruct the military to break the law, he has since pledged to "broaden" the laws to allow torture, including but not limited to waterboarding.

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