FORT HOOD, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – The U.S. Army has announced December 3, 2026, as the day for the execution of former Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The scheduled firing squad execution will take place at 1 p.m. Central Time at Fort Hood. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle confirmed the details regarding the date, location, and method in an official memorandum. Hasan was sentenced to death for his role in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, an incident that resulted in 13 deaths and 32 injuries at the Texas military base.
The decision to proceed with Hasan’s execution was authorized by President Donald Trump, following a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Under military law, presidential approval is required before any execution can be carried out by the armed forces. This upcoming execution will bring an end to a 65-year hiatus in U.S. military executions, the last of which took place in 1961 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Army hanged Private John Bennett after his conviction for rape and attempted murder under military law.
At the time of the attack, Hasan was serving as an Army psychiatrist. The assault occurred on November 5, 2009, inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where service members prepare for deployment. Thirteen individuals—twelve active-duty personnel and one retired soldier—were killed. In 2013, a military panel convicted Hasan on 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. The court-martial also mandated his dismissal from service along with the forfeiture of military pay and allowances.
Legal Appeals Over Years Lead to Scheduled Execution
Hasan spent over ten years challenging his sentence through military appeals. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces upheld his convictions and death sentence in March 2024. He subsequently petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for review, but his request was denied on March 31, 2025. This ruling effectively affirmed the military court’s decision and concluded his efforts to seek further judicial review at the highest level of the U.S. judiciary.
The Army plans to carry out the execution at Fort Hood, the same location where Hasan committed the mass shooting. During the attack, police officers shot him, leaving him partially paralyzed, and he now uses a wheelchair. Hasan admitted to carrying out the shootings during his court-martial, stating he wanted to prevent U.S. troops from deploying to Afghanistan and fighting Muslims. His admission was recorded in the official court proceedings.
The firing squad order signifies a rare event in military justice
Since April 13, 1961, the U.S. military has not carried out an execution. Death sentences in the military system are subject to multiple levels of mandatory review before execution, with Hasan’s case passing through each stage prior to President Trump’s approval of the firing squad method. The Army has officially scheduled the execution following extensive legal review, marking the first time in generations that a firing squad will be used in military executions.
Hasan is still set for execution at Fort Hood on December 3 at 1 p.m. Central Time. The Army has finalized the specifics regarding the method, location, and date. His case, originating from the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, has gone through years of military appeals, culminating in the Supreme Court’s refusal to review in 2025. The planned firing squad execution would be the first U.S. military execution in over sixty years.