Pete Hegseth vows to make first firing squad execution in decades ‘public’

Fort Hood gunman’s execution is set to be publicly accessible

Healfromzero.com – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the planned execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, will be made public. The execution, scheduled for December 3, would mark the first firing-squad execution conducted by the US Army since World War II.

Hasan is due to be executed at Fort Hood at 2 p.m. Eastern time, or 1 p.m. Central time. Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle set the date and time after Hegseth recommended execution by firing squad and President Donald Trump approved it.

Officials outline public access

In an interview recorded aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday, Hegseth said the public should be able to witness the punishment. He spoke with far-right podcaster Jack Posobiec about the intended visibility of the execution.

“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said.

A Pentagon official said the execution will be livestreamed, though further details about the broadcast were not provided. Earlier, the Pentagon directed questions about the method of publicizing the execution to the Army.

Hegseth described the planned timing as intentional, noting that the execution would take place on a Thursday at 1 p.m. Central time, the same time at which Hasan carried out the 2009 attack. He also said soldiers carrying rifles would form the firing squad.

“a Thursday, we’re going to do it at one o’clock, which is when he did it, and it’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad,” Hegseth said.

The 2009 attack

Hasan was convicted in July 2013 on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. The charges stemmed from the shooting at Fort Hood, a military installation in Texas.

On the day of the attack, Hasan opened fire at the post’s medical processing center, where troops were receiving medical checks ahead of deployments. He fired on soldiers inside the facility and pursued people as they fled through a rear exit.

Police confronted Hasan after the shooting began. He exchanged gunfire with officers and was eventually struck. The attack killed 13 people and injured dozens more, reflected in the attempted-murder convictions.

During his trial, Hasan told a panel of 13 officers that he had selected soldiers who were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. He said they would take part in what he called an “illegal war.”

A rare military execution method

The decision to use a firing squad places the case in a historically unusual category for the US military. No firing-squad execution has been carried out by the Army since World War II. The planned procedure therefore carries significance beyond the individual case, both because of its method and because officials intend to make it viewable by the public.

Hegseth linked his support for the execution to his view of military resolve and wartime conduct. In the interview, he said he favored the outlook he associated with the United States during World War II.

“the mentality we had in World War II, which was win. Which was understand when the enemy attacks you, you stand your ground,” Hegseth said.

The scheduled execution concerns one of the deadliest attacks on a US military base in recent decades. The public nature of the event, including the Pentagon official’s statement that it will be livestreamed, means the execution is expected to receive broad attention as December 3 approaches.

Officials have not released additional operational details about how viewers would access a livestream, what restrictions might apply, or how the event would be presented. The central facts announced so far are the execution date, the Fort Hood location, the firing-squad method, and the administration’s plan for public visibility.