The Pentagon has announced that Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major responsible for the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, will be put to death by firing squad. This decision marks a historic shift in military justice, representing the first time the United States armed forces have utilized a firing squad for execution since the conclusion of World War Two. According to a statement from spokesperson Sean Parnell, the move follows a recommendation from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and received final approval from President Donald Trump.

Hasan, once a psychiatrist within the Army ranks, orchestrated what remains the deadliest non-combat attack ever recorded on an American military installation. On November 5, 2009, he opened fire in a crowded medical facility where soldiers were preparing for deployment, killing thirteen unarmed service members and wounding thirty two others. During his 2013 court martial, Hasan confessed to the shootings and claimed his actions were intended to protect Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The path toward this execution reflects a broader return to capital punishment under the current administration. While previous leadership had placed a moratorium on federal executions, President Trump reinstated them via executive order upon taking office in January 2025, describing the death penalty as an essential deterrent against heinous violence. Though several states still permit firing squads today, they remain rare occurrences across the country and almost unheard of within the modern military legal system.

As one of only four individuals currently residing on military death row, Hasan now faces a definitive timeline determined by the Secretary of the Army. Despite past legal challenges regarding the constitutionality of military executions throughout the eighties, current laws provide a clear framework for presidential authorization. In his announcement on social media, Parnell noted that judgement day had finally arrived for Hasan as officials begin coordinating the logistics of the procedure.