President Donald Trump has approved the execution of former U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, setting the stage for the first U.S. military execution in more than six decades. Hasan, now 56, was convicted by a military jury in 2013 of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas. The attack left 13 people dead and 30 others wounded, and Hasan was seriously injured and partially paralyzed after police shot him during the confrontation. According to the Pentagon, his execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he is one of four prisoners on military death row. The announcement has renewed attention on a punishment that is extremely rare in the United States and has not been used by the military since 1961. It has also prompted renewed debate over what actually happens during a firing squad execution and whether the method is considered more predictable than other forms of capital punishment.
Recent state executions provide some insight into what Hasan’s final moments could resemble if the military follows a similar procedure. In South Carolina, Brad Sigmon was executed by firing squad in March 2025 after being secured to a metal chair in an execution chamber. A group of shooters fired rifles through an opening in the wall, with the weapons aimed toward his chest. Witnesses reported that movement continued briefly after the shots before a doctor officially pronounced him dead about three minutes later. Earlier, Utah inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by a five-person firing squad in 2010, with witnesses describing movement after the gunfire as well. Firing squad executions remain legal in only a small number of states and are rarely carried out, making Hasan’s scheduled execution an extraordinary development. Supporters and opponents continue to disagree sharply over capital punishment, while organizations such as Death Penalty Action have condemned the decision. As December approaches, Hasan’s case is drawing renewed attention not only because of the crimes that placed him on death row, but because his execution would mark a historic return of military capital punishment.
