A U.S. military execution has not happened in 65 years, but that record is about to end. The Pentagon has set a date for the shooting of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, and it is Dec. 3, 2026. The method: a firing squad.
The execution will take place at Fort Hood, the same military post where Hasan carried out the attack. It will end a gap that began when Pvt. John Bennett was hanged in 1961. The last firing squad execution was during World War II, when Pvt. Eddie Slovik was put to death in France for desertion.
On Nov. 5, 2009, Hasan killed 13 people and injured 32 others at the post’s readiness center. He was an Army psychiatrist at the time of the shootings. He fired 146 times.
Hasan was paralyzed from the chest down when police returned fire. Witnesses described hearing him shout “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire. He has served two decades in the Army and is now 56, having been on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since his conviction.
The decision was made at the top of the Pentagon. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the firing squad plan was recommended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and approved by President Trump.
Parnell wrote: “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.”
Army Regulation 190-55 requires presidential approval for military executions. A 2019 revision removed the term “lethal injection” from the regulation. The execution method is recommended by the provost marshal general to the secretary of the Army.
The prisoner is informed of the president’s decision in person by the commandant, accompanied by a chaplain and defense attorney if available. After notification, the prisoner becomes a “condemned prisoner.”
CBS Texas reached out to Fort Hood for comment and was directed to Army headquarters.
Family members of those who died were notified of the planned execution before the announcement. Survivors were also asked if they wanted to attend.
The Record at Stake
The last military execution was 65 years ago, when Pvt. John Bennett was hanged in 1961. The last execution by firing squad was during World War II, when Pvt. Eddie Slovik was put to death in France for desertion. Hasan’s case would mark a return to both records at once.
The regulation and the procedure are designed to be final. The prisoner is told of the decision in person, with a chaplain and defense attorney present if available. The condemned status is a formal step, not a choice.
“Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.”
What the Paper Thinks
The Pentagon and the president are moving ahead with a military execution after 65 years.
The families who lost loved ones have been notified. The survivors have been asked if they want to attend. The decision was made, and it is set.
That is the whole story.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither the execution nor the military’s decision to carry it out, and instead backs a narrower and more focused process aimed only at the specific harm Hasan caused. The execution of a soldier on death row is a grave step, and the paper believes it should be handled with care, not bureaucratic routine.
The record the Pentagon is restoring is one of finality, and finality is not the same as justice. The paper wants a process that respects the condemned man’s claims of innocence and his family’s desire to be heard, just as it respects the families of the victims.
The paper wants the Pentagon to listen before deciding, to weigh every step against the harm Hasan caused and nothing more, and to put the families first.
See the video the story is built around at CBS News.
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