Addendum (A history of Watchtower teachings on Military Service)
Watchtower teaching about Romans: 13: 1,2 over the years impacted Brothers and Sisters during wartime conscription. It landed the Directors in prison, European Bible Students in concentration camps, and a crisis for us during the Vietnam War under the rubric of “Conscientious Objection.”
I have discovered much misunderstanding on this point! It is easy to be confused- not just for rank-and-file JWs, but all the way at the top over a span of 100 years of teaching. There’s never any lack of certainty, confidence, or authority behind pronouncements from the Faithful Slave - but any human with the power to lead can do so and discover the “whispers” in their mind are susceptible to rollover. 
Grappling with these issues, official pronouncements are always authoritative - but subject to change at any time. Or, as an older sister in our congregation liked to say, “It used to be true.”
It comes down to TRUST and what that trust is based upon.
The original understanding is what mainstream Christianity taught for 2,000 years.
Superior Authorities are plainly enough the civil, secular leaders.
Pastor Russell understood it to be that as well.
His successor did - for a while…
J.F. Rutherford began in 1929 publishing/ teaching a “New Light TRUTH”, the opposite view to that of Russell which lasted 33 years before it was flipped back. Brother Rutherford died and Brother Knorr’s era came along and things went back to the traditional understanding.
"It is a serious matter to represent God and Christ in one way, then find that our understanding of the major teachings and fundamental doctrines of the Scriptures was in error, and then after that, to go back to the very doctrines that, by years of study, we had thoroughly determined to be in error. Christians cannot be vacillating - 'wishy washy' - about such fundamental teachings. What confidence can one put in the sincerity or judgment of such persons?" Watchtower, May 15, 1976, p. 298
Yearbook 1982 p. 226-7
As the number of Witnesses increased, the issue was continually brought to the attention of the public and the authorities alike. Finally, a law was approved decreeing that those who do not agree to do alternative service shall be sentenced to one single prison term so that our young brothers are now given from 12 to 15 months of imprisonment...
From 1978 to 1980 there have been, on an average, 500 young brothers? a year in prison on account of the neutrality issue. It is calculated that up to the present, several thousand Witnesses have kept a clear conscience before Jehovah God in this respect.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses are grateful when governments exempt them from military service altogether or allow conscientious young men and women to perform nonmilitary civilian national service. (Romans 12:18; 14:19; 2 Corinthians 10:4; Hebrews 12:14) Furthermore, the Witnesses’ neutral stand means that they do not interfere with those who choose to serve in the armed forces. The application of this simple principle makes Jehovah’s Witnesses exemplary, peace-loving citizens from whom governmental authorities have nothing to fear. “
"What, though, if the Christian lives in a land where exemption [from military service] is not granted to ministers of religion? Then he will have to make a personal decision following his Bible-trained conscience. What, though, if the State requires a Christian for a period of time to perform civilian service that is a part of national service under a civilian administration? That is his decision before Jehovah." Watchtower 1996 May 1 pp.19-20
Notice the above date for the change in policy? 1996.
That policy change came too late for these Brothers:
NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE
This week marked 25 years in prison without charges or trial for three men in Eritrea. The trio—identified as Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos and Negede Teklemariam—have been incarcerated in the East African nation since 1994, after refusing to partake in military service, part of their pacifist beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses.
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The above is part of a letter I've written to my former prison inmate Brothers (about 50 of them) who were in the same Federal Prison as
I was from 1967-69.
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