Army Schedules First Military Execution by Firing Squad Since 1945

Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood, Texas, on December 3, 2026, for fatally shooting 13 people and wounding 32 in a 2009 attack at the same base, according to a statement from the Army. This incident is noted as the deadliest mass shooting on an American military installation. President Trump approved the execution earlier this week, although it could still be halted. If carried out, Hasan will be the first person executed through the military justice system since 1961. The last U.S. service member executed by firing squad was Pvt. Edward Donald Slovik, who was executed in France on January 31, 1945, for desertion. Hasan is currently held at the military death row prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was convicted of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder on August 23, 2013, and sentenced to death five days later. Sean Parnell, a Defense Department spokesman, stated on social media that 'judgment day for Hasan has finally come.' According to a 2023 Army regulation regarding military executions, various lawful methods for executing prisoners will be presented to the Army secretary for consideration. The acting secretary of the Army, Adam R. Telle, selected death by firing squad for Hasan. The regulation mandates that executions occur no sooner than 60 days and no later than 150 days after presidential approval. Hasan's execution is set for 1 p.m. Central time on December 3, just 63 days after Trump's approval. The specifics of whether Hasan, who is paralyzed from the waist down, will be shot sitting down or strapped upright remain unclear. The regulations also stipulate that a minimum of two media representatives will be chosen to witness the execution. On November 5, 2009, Hasan carried out the attack at Fort Hood, claiming it was in protest against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. John Ismay, a reporter for The Times, covers the Pentagon and has a background as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the U.S. Navy.