The U.S. Army is preparing for the first military execution since 1961, and former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan is among the condemned.
Hasan carried out the November 5, 2009 Fort Hood massacre, walking into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center and opening fire on unarmed troops preparing for deployment. He shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he killed 13 people — including an unborn child — and wounded more than 30 others.
A military jury convicted him of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. He was stripped of his rank, dismissed from the Army, and sentenced to death. He has sat on death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth for more than a decade. He has shown no remorse.
The Army has developed an internal plan known as “Operation Resolute Justice” to carry out military death sentences if the President authorizes them. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly said he is committed to seeing Hasan’s sentence carried out.
Hasan’s direct appeals have been exhausted, including a U.S. Supreme Court denial. Under military law, the sentence still cannot be executed without presidential approval. No execution date has been announced.
If approved and carried out, it would be the first U.S. military execution since April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt. John A. Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth.
Thirteen American service members never came home because Hasan turned his weapon on his own fellow soldiers. Justice has been delayed long enough.
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