WASHINGTON — The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that the scheduled execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be broadcast via livestream, an unprecedented move that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth describes as a commitment to public transparency.
Hasan, a former Army major convicted of murdering 13 people and wounding 32 others during a 2009 shooting rampage at the Texas military base, is slated to die by firing squad on December 3. Speaking to the conservative outlet Real America’s Voice on Wednesday while aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Hegseth defended the decision to make the event public.
“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” Hegseth said. When questioned about whether Hasan had made any final requests or attempted to reach out to the Trump administration, the Secretary remained dismissive, stating: “Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3rd.”
The announcement follows confirmation from Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell earlier this week that President Donald Trump has officially approved the execution. The use of a firing squad for the execution of a service member would be a historic departure from modern precedent; the U.S. military has not utilized the method since World War II. The last military execution occurred in 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged.
The move marks a notable pivot in the administration’s rhetoric regarding state-sponsored killings. President Trump previously condemned public executions in Iran, frequently touting his administration’s role in pressuring Tehran to cease the practice. Throughout early 2026, Trump repeatedly claimed that his administration successfully halted Iranian executions through the threat of “serious violence.”
Legal experts, however, caution that the administration’s plan for a public, livestreamed execution may face immediate judicial hurdles. Eugene R. Fidell, a specialist in military law at Yale Law School, suggested that Hasan could potentially initiate legal challenges, such as a habeas petition in civilian court, which could tie the matter up in litigation.
“It frankly might outlast the current administration, and who knows if the next one will have the same penchant for executions,” Fidell noted.
Hasan’s 2009 attack remains one of the deadliest incidents in modern U.S. military history. During his trial, investigators detailed the meticulous planning behind the shooting, which targeted soldiers waiting for medical clearance and immunizations before deployment. Hasan, acting as his own defense counsel, admitted to the shootings, characterizing his actions as an effort to prevent the deployment of soldiers to Afghanistan. He was barred from presenting a “defense of others” argument by the presiding military judge.
The White House has declined to comment on the logistics of the broadcast, deferring all inquiries to the Department of Defense. Pentagon officials stated that further operational details regarding the livestream will be released in the coming weeks.
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