U.S. Military Approves Rare Firing Squad Execution

United States courthouse with grand neoclassical columns — Photo: lev radin / Shutterstock

For the first time since 1961, the U.S. military is moving to carry out an execution—by an Army firing squad approved for Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan.

Story Snapshot

Pentagon says President Trump approved death by U.S. Army firing squad for Nidal Hasan.
Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 for killing 13 and wounding 32 at Fort Hood in 2009.
The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution.
Media report a December 3, 2026 date, citing an email to families, not a public order.

What The Pentagon Announced

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended death by U.S. Army firing squad for Nidal Hasan, and President Trump approved it. The statement also said the Secretary of the Army will set the time and place. This approval marks a major step because the military has not executed anyone since 1961, making the decision both rare and historic in modern times.

Officials framed the method as a U.S. Army firing squad, not a generic execution. Reports attributed the exact wording to Parnell’s announcement, which several national outlets quoted directly. The formal chain places scheduling in Army hands. That means the Army secretary must choose the site, date, and procedures. This keeps the final implementation within service regulations and ensures the process follows military law and policy.

Who Hasan Is And What The Case Involves

Nidal Hasan is a former Army major and psychiatrist who opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in the attack. A court-martial convicted him, and a military jury sentenced him to death in 2013. He has been on military death row since then. The scale of the crime and the military setting have kept the case in national view for years.

The approval of a firing squad comes after years of appeals and review that often slow military capital cases. The United States military last carried out an execution in 1961, underscoring how uncommon this step is. Analysts note that modern military death sentences face heavy scrutiny and can be overturned or delayed. That is why any movement toward an actual execution is unusual and newsworthy.

What Happens Next And Why It Matters

After presidential approval, Army leadership must set the logistics. ABC News reported that Army policy outlines a window that runs no sooner than 60 days and no later than 150 days after approval, though the Army controls scheduling details. Several outlets reported that victim families received an email naming December 3, 2026, and Fort Hood as the plan. That date, however, has not appeared in a public Army order in the reporting cited here.

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Many Americans across the political spectrum see this step through a wider lens. Some families want swift, certain justice after years of delay. Others worry that government systems move too slowly or bow to politics. The method—firing squad—adds to the debate. The United States military has used it before, and courts have found it constitutional, but it is very rare today. This decision signals resolve while testing trust in institutions to carry out hard choices fairly and transparently.