FORT HOOD, TEXAS / RankWire.AI / – The U.S. Army has designated December 3, 2026, as the date for the execution of former Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The execution by firing squad is planned for 1 p.m. Central Time at Fort Hood. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle verified the specifics of the date, location, and method in an official memorandum. Hasan was sentenced to death for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, which resulted in 13 fatalities and 32 injuries at the Texas military installation.
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, the president’s approval is required before the armed forces can execute a death sentence. This scheduled execution will end a 65-year hiatus in U.S. military executions, with the last occurring in 1961 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Historically, Private John Bennett was hanged after his conviction for rape and attempted murder under military jurisdiction.
At the time of the assault, Hasan served as an Army psychiatrist. The attack took place on November 5, 2009, inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where soldiers prepare for deployment. A total of twelve active-duty personnel and one retired soldier lost their lives. In 2013, a military court convicted Hasan on 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. The court-martial also imposed dismissal from service and the forfeiture of military pay and allowances.
Legal appeals spanning over a decade culminate in scheduled execution
Hasan engaged in more than ten years of legal challenges within the military justice framework. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces affirmed 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. With that ruling, the military court’s judgment remained final, and his appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed.
The Army will execute the sentence at Fort Hood, the same base where the shooting occurred. During the attack, police shot Hasan, leaving him partially paralyzed, and he has since used a wheelchair. Hasan admitted during his court-martial that he carried out the shooting, stating his intention was to prevent U.S. troops from deploying to Afghanistan and fighting Muslims. His confession was recorded as part of the official court proceedings.
The firing squad order signifies a rare military legal precedent
The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since April 13, 1961. Before an execution, military death sentences undergo multiple levels of mandatory review. Hasan’s case advanced through these appellate stages before President Trump approved the firing squad as the method. The Army has now officially scheduled the execution after extensive legal review, making it the first use of a firing squad in decades.
The scheduled execution at Fort Hood on December 3 at 1 p.m. Central Time has the method, location, and date firmly set. The case originated with the 2009 attack at Fort Hood and extended through numerous military appeals. The Supreme Court declined to review the case further in 2025. If carried out, this firing squad execution will be the first U.S. military execution in more than sixty years.