Trump Greenlights Firing Squad

The Pentagon emblem between two flags. — Photo: Shutterstock

President Trump approved a Pentagon plan to execute Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan by U.S. Army firing squad, marking the first military execution in more than six decades.

Story Highlights

Pentagon says President Trump approved firing squad execution for Nidal Hasan.
Hasan was convicted for killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood attack.
This would be the first U.S. military execution in over 60 years.
Firing squads are rare but are resurging as states and agencies face lethal injection hurdles.

Pentagon Approval Names Trump And Hegseth

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended death by firing squad for Nidal Malik Hasan, and President Trump approved it. Reports published October 5 and 6 carry the same wording and place the decision at the top of the chain of command. The statement links the method and the authority in a single move, making the decision clear to the public and the military alike.

Outlets that covered the statement describe an Army firing squad as the method. That detail signals an operational choice that the military can carry out. The Pentagon’s on-record attribution gives the plan official weight. The reports, while not showing the signed order, align on the central facts: recommendation by Hegseth, approval by President Trump, and the selection of a firing squad for Hasan’s execution.

Hasan’s Conviction And The Military Justice Context

Nidal Malik Hasan was convicted for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. His case has sat at the center of military justice debates for years. The reported approval would activate the final step in a capital case that has moved through the system since the attack. The gravity of the crimes and the uniformed setting shaped public attention then and now, as the armed forces prepare to enforce the sentence already handed down by military courts.

Reports note that, if carried out, this would be the first U.S. military execution in more than 60 years. That span underscores how rarely the armed forces use capital punishment. The long gap also explains why the method matters. A firing squad is lawful under certain rules, and its selection avoids the supply and legal problems that have stalled lethal injection in many jurisdictions. That tradeoff is drawing fresh focus inside and outside the services.

Why Firing Squads Are Back In The Conversation

States have revived firing squads as lethal injection drugs grow scarce and court fights expand. Death penalty researchers have tracked this shift and found that firing squads have been used only a tiny share of the time since the 1970s. Even so, they remain a “known and available” method that some officials view as faster, more certain, and less prone to mid-execution failures than injections that rely on fragile supply chains and complex protocols.

Idaho made firing squad its primary method in 2026, building a chamber and posting procedures for how an execution would run. That move shows how governments adjust when injections falter, and it offers a public template for protocols, roles, and safeguards. While the military has its own rules, the state-level pivot helps explain why national leaders might pick a method that can be done with trained personnel and standard equipment rather than rare drugs.

What This Means For Public Trust And Rule Of Law

Americans across the spectrum worry that officials dodge hard calls and let systems drift. A clear, named decision from the Pentagon and the White House cuts the other way. It shows someone is taking ownership of the last step in a case that has waited for years. Supporters will see overdue justice for the victims at Fort Hood. Critics of the death penalty will focus on state power and whether firing squads fit modern standards.

The core facts are not in dispute: the Pentagon says President Trump approved a firing squad for Hasan, who was convicted for killing 13 people at Fort Hood. The significance is twofold. First, the military is preparing for its first execution in decades. Second, the method reflects a wider shift as institutions move away from lethal injection toward options that are feasible, legally durable, and operationally simple under the rule of law.