The Visual Performance of Precision Lethality on Social Media

(Christopher J. Fuller – Lawfare) Precision warfare today is defined not only by what happens during a strike, but by how that act is seen, framed, and circulated. Over the past two decades, the United States has developed a visual language—gun-camera footage, Situation Room photographs, and eyewitness social media posts—to present targeted killing as restrained, lawful, and morally controlled, turning attacks into political performances as well as military actions. These representations are not ancillary but constitutive: They shape public expectations about how war should be fought, constrain political and military decision-making, and legitimize further uses of force. While this “precision cycle” has at times advanced civilian harm mitigation, it also risks hollowing precision into performance—allowing visual credibility to stand in for legal, strategic, and ethical judgment. – The Visual Performance of Precision Lethality on Social Media | Lawfare