The Pentagon said it will livestream the execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan on December 3 at Fort Hood, the site of the 2009 shooting. The move follows President Donald Trump’s approval and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s insistence that the event be public.
The decision marks the first firing‑squad execution in the US military since 1945. At Fort Hood, Hasan killed 13 soldiers and wounded 32 on November 5, 2009.
Trump authorized the execution after Hegseth’s recommendation. Hegseth posted on X that the event must be seen so people grasp the gravity of such crimes.
Legal experts warn that the livestream could be challenged. Military law scholar Eugene Fidell said Hasan could file a habeas petition in federal court to delay or block the broadcast, a question courts have never ruled on.
Critics argue the broadcast violates dignity and may set an unsettling precedent. No court has yet issued a stay, and the Pentagon maintains that the execution will proceed as scheduled.
For those who survived the 2009 massacre, the upcoming execution brings a mix of closure and discomfort. One Fort Hood veteran told reporters that watching the event could reopen old wounds, yet he also said the country must confront its past.