Not even "plausible deniability". They don't even need to ask for these things off the record because the generals are not idiots. They know what their bosses want well enough that nobody need ask. You see this behavior all throughout government.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorauseilender_Gehorsam
Sadly the article only exists in German because, well, the most well known example of it is how people acted under Hitler.
It is a cornerstone that marks the difference between an exec who can and an exec who cannot CYA.
This is also why "Can I get that in writing", or asking something outright in an email is a fantastic way to corner a squirrely exec.
Anyway, https://www.deepl.com/translator works perfectly via cut&paste from .de to English for this.