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Military justice · Scheduled, not executed

FS-2026-ID-0001

Nidal Hasan.
The military firing squad.

December 3, 2026 · Fort Hood, Texas · Execution scheduled · Livestream proposed

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Military record · Updated October 14, 2026

Nidal Hasan.
The proposed return.

President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s death sentence on October 2, 2026. The Army directed execution by firing squad on October 6 and published its announcement October 7. The scheduled date is December 3, 2026 · 1 p.m. CST, at Fort Hood, Texas.

Hasan’s case belongs to military justice, not the civilian execution count. The six completed civilian firing-squad executions since 1977 remain six. This execution has not taken place; civilian federal-court review could delay the date.

Public executions · Broadcast proposed

Not simply a return.
A proposed public spectacle.

Pete Hegseth announced a plan to livestream the killing. On October 9, the UN human rights office warned that livestreaming would amount to a public execution and breach the absolute prohibition on torture. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric called the possibility “abhorrent.”

The historical question is not only whether the military will resume execution by rifle, but whether it will invite a mass audience to watch. The broadcast remains a proposal—not a completed historical event.

Read the UN’s response ↗

The case and the legal boundary

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted by court-martial of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the November 5, 2009, Fort Hood shooting. The jury found him guilty on August 23, 2013, and imposed a death sentence five days later. Military proceedings and presidential approval do not remove the possibility of civilian federal-court review.

If carried out, this would be the first U.S. military execution since John Bennett’s 1961 hanging and a return to military firing-squad execution after World War II. It would be a separate military event, not a seventh civilian execution.

What is publicly established · Did not initially describe

What the Army did not initially describe when it announced the method.

The Army’s October announcement set a date, a place and a method. It did not initially describe how a firing squad is actually assembled and carried out. Six details are recorded here as undescribed, not as settled. This section updates as news describes them.

  • Who selects the firing squad

    The Army’s October announcement named no authority that selects the squad.

    Not described at announcement

  • Whether squad members volunteer or are assigned

    The announcement did not say whether squad members volunteer or are assigned.

    Not described at announcement

  • Whether the Army will use an existing military protocol or adapt a state procedure

    The announcement confirmed no protocol source, military or state.

    No confirmed answer

  • Where on the post the execution takes place

    The announcement named the installation, but not the exact site on the post.

    Partially described

  • Whether personnel receive special preparation or training

    The announcement described no special preparation or training for the personnel.

    No confirmed answer

  • Who certifies death and documents the event

    The announcement published no procedure for certifying death and documenting the event.

    Not published

Separate military-execution timeline

  1. January 31, 1945

    Completed historical event

    Eddie Slovik · firing squad

    Private Eddie Slovik was executed in France for desertion. His case anchors the World War II history against which the proposed return of a military firing squad must be understood.

  2. April 13, 1961

    Completed historical event

    John Bennett · hanging

    Private John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth. This was the last U.S. military execution by any method—not a firing-squad execution.

  3. October 2, 2026

    Announcement · not an execution

    Trump approves Hasan’s death sentence

    According to the Army, President Donald Trump approved the military death sentence after the military appellate process. Approval is not a completed execution.

  4. October 6–7, 2026

    Announcement · not an execution

    Army directs execution and publishes announcement

    The Acting Secretary of the Army directed execution by firing squad on October 6. The Army’s public announcement, published October 7, sets December 3 at Fort Hood.

  5. December 3, 2026

    Scheduled · not carried out

    Nidal Hasan · scheduled, not executed

    The Army has scheduled a firing-squad execution for 1 p.m. CST at Fort Hood, Texas. Civilian federal-court review could delay it. No execution or broadcast has occurred in this record as of October 14, 2026.