Army sets December 3 date for first military execution by firing squad since 1945

The U.S. Army scheduled the execution of former Major Nidal Malik Hasan for December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas, where he killed 13 people in a 2009 mass shooting. Approved by President Donald Trump, the execution by firing squad will be the first military execution since 1961 and the first by military firing squad since 1945. The decision aligns with a broader push by the Trump administration to aggressively expand federal capital punishment.

Scheduling of Hasan's execution

• ▪Nidal Malik Hasan, who is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair, will be executed at 1 p.m. Central time on December 3, 2026
• ▪President Donald Trump approved the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan following a recommendation by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
• ▪Defense attorney Jonathan F. Potter, representing Nidal Malik Hasan, declined to comment on Hasan's scheduled Dec. 3 execution at Fort Hood on October 7, 2026
• ▪Nidal Malik Hasan could potentially delay his scheduled execution for years by filing a habeas corpus appeal in the civilian federal court system
• ▪Acting Army Secretary Adam R. Telle announced the December 3, 2026 execution date and selected the firing squad method for Nidal Malik Hasan
• ▪The United States Army scheduled the execution of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad for December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas

Hasan's 2009 attack and conviction

• ▪Nidal Malik Hasan was convicted by courts-martial on August 23, 2013, of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder, and was sentenced to death
• ▪Nidal Malik Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, stated he carried out the 2009 attack at Fort Hood to wage jihad and protect Islamic and Taliban leaders from U.S. troops
• ▪On November 5, 2009, Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others while shouting "Allahu Akbar."

History of military executions

• ▪The last U.S. service member executed by firing squad was Private Edward Donald Slovik, who was put to death for desertion in France on January 31, 1945
• ▪The scheduled execution of Nidal Malik Hasan at Fort Hood on Dec. 3 will be the first carried out by the United States military since a soldier was hanged in 1961

Army execution regulations

• ▪Under 2023 Army regulations, condemned military prisoners must be executed 60 to 150 days after presidential approval, and at least two news media representatives must witness the execution
• ▪Under 2023 Army regulations, all lawful and feasible execution methods must be presented to the Army secretary for consideration

Federal capital punishment policies

• ▪The U.S. Justice Department announced in 2026 it would adopt firing squads as a permitted execution method and reauthorize single-drug pentobarbital lethal injections
• ▪President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 directing the federal government to pursue capital punishment more aggressively

Firing squad executions

• ▪South Carolina carried out a firing squad execution in 2025, marking the first such execution in the United States in 15 years
• ▪Five U.S. states currently allow executions by firing squad: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah

Debatable claims

• ▪The U.S. military's use of firing squads is justified
• ▪Executing a paralyzed prisoner is justified