Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, stated on 5/10 that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth proposed the plan to execute former Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad, a method approved by President Donald Trump.

"Judgment day for Hasan has finally arrived", Parnell wrote on social media.

Former Major Hasan in an image released in 8/2012. *Reuters*

The US Army Secretary will determine the time and location of the execution. According to US military regulations, a death sentence must be carried out at least 60 days and no more than 150 days after presidential approval.

At least two media organizations must be chosen to witness the execution.

Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people, including 12 servicemembers and one civilian, and attempting to murder 32 others in a shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, on 5/11/2009. The former US servicemember was wounded by police gunfire and subsequently arrested.

Fort Hood served as a staging area for US soldiers preparing for deployment to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. During his court-martial in 2013, Hasan confessed to shooting his comrades to protect Islamic militants from US forces.

Hasan represented himself at trial, did not call witnesses, and offered no testimony to refute the charges. Lawyers appointed to assist Hasan expressed concerns that the suspect was deliberately seeking the death penalty. A military jury found Hasan guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder, and the court-martial subsequently sentenced him to death.

Following an appeals process, Hasan requested the US Supreme Court review the case in 2024, arguing that the judge violated his right to a public trial by clearing the courtroom during discussions with lawyers on certain matters. The Supreme Court denied this request in 2025, thus upholding the death sentence.

US servicemembers evacuate wounded individuals from Fort Hood during the 5/11/2009 shooting. *US Army*

Hasan's execution will mark the first time the US military has executed a servicemember since 1961, when Private John Bennett was hanged for rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Austria.

This also represents one of few instances where the US has used a firing squad for an execution. This method was applied three times in South Carolina last year, which were the first firing squad executions in the US since 2010.

The US federal government typically uses lethal injection for civilian death penalties. However, the Justice Department stated earlier this year that federal officials should consider other methods, including firing squad, electric chair, and gas.

Hasan is one of 4 inmates on death row within the US military justice system. In June, ABC obtained Pentagon documents indicating the US military's desire to resume servicemember executions with a plan named "Operation Steadfast Justice".

The plan, introduced in February, requires the military to coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to transfer death row inmates from the military prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, to the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Thanh Danh (According to ABC, CBS, Guardian)