Security officials 'considering quitting' following Donald Trump's victory amid concerns over 'dangerous' policies

Personnel are said to be facing moral dilemmas over whether to continue in their roles amid concerns Trump has advocated security policies which amount to torture and are illegal under international law

President-elect Donald Trump (Getty)

Officials in the US military and intelligence services are debating resigning following Donald Trump's election, it has been reported.

Mr Trump has previously spoken of his plans to introduce an authoritarian approach to national security. His most controversial suggestions include reviving the use of torture, banning Muslims from entering the US, targeting the families of terrorism suspects and detaining terror suspects indefinitely.

Sources in the military, intelligence services, diplomatic corps and federal law enforcement have reportedly told The Guardian they now face a moral dilemma over whether to continue in their jobs under a Trump presidency.

They are said to be "fearful" of carrying out orders over concerns they may breach legal boundaries or moral limits.

In August, 50 Republican foreign policy and national security officials signed an open letter stating that Mr Trump "would be the most reckless president in American history." They accused him of having an "alarming ignorance" over basic international issues and said he "lacks the character, values and experience" to be in charge of security related issues.

However, Mr Trump dismissed the claims, retorting: The names on this letter are the ones the American people should look to for answers on why the world is a mess and we thank them for coming forward so everyone in the country knows who deserves blame for making the world such a dangerous place". He added that they were a "failed Washington elite".

During the bid for the Republican nomination, Mr Trump outlined a hard-line stance on torture, mocking rival Ted Cruz for apparently shying away from the use of waterboarding. At one event, Mr Trump said of Mr Cruz: "He didn't want to get involved because he thought waterboarding was bad, so- of course it's bad, but it's not chopping off heads, folks. Okay? That I can tell you.

"They're chopping off our heads in the Middle East. They want to kill us, they want to kills us. They want to kill our country. They want to knock out our cities. And don't tell me it doesn't work- torture works. Okay, folks?"

During another debate in March, Mr Trump also insisted it would be legal and fair to intentionally kill families of terrorists. When asked what he would do if military personnel refused to enact the apparently illegal orders, he said: "They won't refuse, they're not going to refuse me- believe me."

The President-elect has also been criticised for not having military experience as during the Vietnam War, he evaded military service through student deferments while at university.He told a biographer that he "always felt like I had been in the military" due to spending time at the New York Military Academy where he was sent by his parents due to behavioural problems.