Pentagon Seeks Trump Approval for First Military Execution Since 1961

The Pentagon, through the Department of War, is preparing to request President Donald Trump's approval to execute Nidal Hasan, the former Army Major convicted of the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. This would mark the first U.S. military execution in over six decades if authorized. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist turned radical Islamic terrorist, lost his final appeal in April 2025, clearing the way for his execution. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has expressed strong commitment to carrying out the death penalty, emphasizing the need for justice for the victims and survivors. The Army follows a specific process under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for death sentences, and Hasan's execution recommendation has progressed through the required military channels and is now awaiting presidential action. Hasan's case is notable for the Pentagon's initial controversial designation of the attack as "workplace violence" rather than terrorism, despite Hasan's own statements justifying the attack as defending the "Islamic Empire."