Former U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, following approval from President Donald Trump. Convicted in 2013 of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder for the 2009 mass shooting at the military base, Hasan faces what would be the first U.S. military execution in more than 65 years.
The announcement sets a definitive timeline for a case that has remained on military death row for over a decade. According to ABC News, the Pentagon confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the execution, which subsequently received presidential authorization. Acting U.S. Army Secretary Adam Telle announced via social media that the proceeding will take place at Fort Hood, bringing the location of the execution back to the site of the original 2009 attack.
Military Returns to Firing Squad Execution Method
The method chosen for the execution marks a rare return to a practice not utilized by the U.S. military since shortly after the Second World War. As reported by Reuters, death by firing squad was recently added back to permissible execution methods under federal and military guidelines. While army regulations require executions to be scheduled no sooner than 60 days and no later than 150 days following presidential approval, specific protocols for assembling an army firing squad remain largely unaddressed in current military manuals.
John Galligan, who spoke with Hasan, told reporters that he believes standard notification regulations were not properly observed. Galligan also pointed to the logistical challenges of transporting Hasan, who is paralyzed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair, back to Fort Hood.
Further legal hurdles could delay the December date. Eugene R. Fidell noted that Hasan retains the right to file a Habeas Corpus petition in federal civilian court to challenge the lawfulness of the proceeding, a process that could potentially span several years.
Historical Context of Military Capital Punishment
Capital punishment remains exceptionally rare within the modern U.S. military justice system. Following the conviction of Pvt. John Bennett, who was executed by hanging in 1961 for crimes committed in Austria, no service member has been put to death by the armed forces. Currently, only four death row inmates reside in the Army justice system at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Condemned Inmate | Nidal Hasan (Former Army Major and Psychiatrist) |
| Conviction Date | August 2013 (45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder) |
| Scheduled Date & Time | December 3 at 1 p.m. |
| Location | Fort Hood, Texas |
| Method | Firing Squad |
| Last Military Execution | 1961 (Pvt. John Bennett, by hanging) |
The upcoming execution invokes parallels to state-level protocols recently re-established in jurisdictions like South Carolina, which utilized a three-person volunteer firing squad. However, military officials have not yet clarified whether the army will adopt state correctional protocols or establish entirely independent procedures for the December 3 date.
The 2009 Rampage and Victims Remembered
The proceedings trace back to November 5, 2009, when Hasan opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood while armed soldiers were preparing for deployment. Witnesses reported that Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar” before firing 146 rounds. The attack resulted in 13 deaths and 32 injuries among unarmed service members and civilian personnel.
Those who lost their lives in the 2009 shooting include:
- Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55
- Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, 52
- Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 56
- Capt. Russell Seager, 51
- Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow, 32
- Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29
- Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22
- Spc. Frederick Z. Greene, 29
- Pfc. Aaron T. Nemelka, 19
- Pfc. Michael S. Pearson, 22
- Pfc. Kham S. Xiong, 23
- Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21 (and her unborn child)
- Michael Grant Cahill, 62
As outlined by CBS News, family members of the victims and survivors have been notified of the scheduled date, marking what many affected individuals view as a definitive milestone in a tragedy that has spanned nearly seventeen years.
