US military prepares for its first execution in over 60 years at Fort Hood. Then Pete Hegseth reveals how the world will witness it: ‘as it should be’
Hegseth does love his content.
Pete Hegseth, the serving Secretary of Defense, has announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan will be a public event. The Defense Department confirmed this in an official letter, stating that it will livestream the execution for anyone who wants to watch.
The execution of Hasan will be held at Fort Hood, Texas, on December 3 this year. Hasan will be executed by a firing squad, a method that hasn’t been used since World War II, and it’ll be the first execution conducted by the United States military in over 60 years. Army Private John Bennett was the last execution in 1961. He was hanged after being court-martialed for the rape and attempted murder of a minor.
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood
On November 5, 2009, Hasan— an Army psychiatrist at Fort Hood at this time— opened fire at a medical processing center on base. This resulted in the deaths of 13 people and many more being wounded. In 2013, a military jury sentenced Hasan to death, and that sentence has been upheld despite his appeals. However, Hasan used his final appeal in 2025, which made it possible for Hegseth to recommend that Trump approve the sentence.
Hasan’s explanation for his actions, which he gave at his court-martial, was that he wanted to stop American soldiers from being deployed and killing his fellow Muslims in Afghanistan, where Hasan was supposed to be deployed as well.
Hegseth views this as an opportunity to make a point
In Hegseth’s words regarding both the 2009 shooting and upcoming execution, “It was a radical Islamist attack in uniform inside the ranks, and so he’s going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be, and we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
Hegseth was asked if Hasan made a final request or tried to reach out to Trump, to which he responded, “Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3.”
Meanwhile, Hegseth has been facing a bid for impeachment brought forward by Representative Massie. The resolution accuses Hegseth of committing high crimes and misdemeanors, at the center of which is the Pentagon engaging in military actions that weren’t approved by Congress. The vote on this matter has been postponed until after the midterm elections due to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sending lawmakers on recess.
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