There's a more subtle argument, that the military as a whole views the word "atrocity" much differently than the rest of society. Though lots of society now agr

There's a more subtle argument, that the military as a whole views the word "atrocity" much differently than the rest of society. Though lots of society now agree with a sort of self-referential notion that our institutions and structures define what is an atrocity, so that whatever we do cannot possibly be an atrocity, if the rules are followed. We see this sort of attitude when it comes to discussions of police brutality. Many police officers view the use of lethal force through the lens of self-defense in high stakes scenarios. Others view the use of lethal force through the lens of "police are not judge, jury, and executioner". When people get shot as they run away from the police, even if each side of the debate might be rational in their own world-view, the conclusions are completely opposed.