US Military’s Return to Firing Squad Executions: A Legal, Ethical, and Geopolitical Reckoning with State Violence
Original framing: “Pentagon says firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed” — The Hindu
The firing squad’s historical use in the US military dates back to the 19th century, when it was employed to enforce discipline in segregated units and suppress mutinies, often along racial lines (e.g., the 1862 execution of 38 Dakota men after the US-Dakota War). Post-WWII, executions were used selectively to send messages to specific groups—such as the 1956 execution of Army cook Margaret Henderson for espionage, a case widely seen as politically motivated. The Pentagon’s revival of this practice today mirrors historical patterns of using state violence to maintain control over marginalized groups, particularly those racialized or religiously othered. The livestreaming aspect is a modern twist, leveraging digital spectacle to normalize what was once a rare and clandestine act.
The Pentagon’s decision to revive firing squad executions is not an isolated act of justice but a deliberate revival of a militarized punishment system that serves to reinforce control over marginalized groups while obscuring systemic failures.
This move aligns with a historical pattern of using state violence to suppress dissent, particularly among racial and religious minorities, and stands in stark contrast to global trends toward abolition and restorative justice. The livestreaming aspect further weaponizes spectacle, normalizing execution as entertainment in an era where digital media amplifies dehumanization. To address this, solutions must integrate restorative justice into military courts, establish truth commissions to investigate bias, and demilitarize mental health care—while also isolating the US diplomatically for its outlier status. The trickster irony of this decision lies in its exposure of the US’s hypocrisy: a nation that claims moral leadership yet revives a practice abandoned by its allies, all while ignoring the Indigenous and global models that offer viable alternatives.