Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that Nidal Hasan, the former Army major who murdered 13 people and wounded 32 others in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, will die by firing squad in a public, livestreamed execution. Speaking aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Hegseth called the decision a no-brainer, saying soldiers need to see there are serious consequences for what he described as a radical Islamist attack carried out from inside the ranks. Hasan, a psychiatrist who opened fire on fellow soldiers while shouting Allahu Akbar, later said the rampage was meant to stop troops from deploying against the Taliban and al Qaeda, and he was left paralyzed after being shot by a responding officer during his capture. President Trump has approved Hegseth's recommendation, and the Pentagon says the execution will be streamed publicly, a method and visibility the U.S. military has not used in generations.

The execution is set for December 3 at 1 p.m. at Fort Hood, the same base and nearly the same hour as the original attack, and it will mark the first time the U.S. military has used a firing squad since Army Private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion in 1945. The plan has already drawn sharp pushback, with lawmakers from both parties questioning whether broadcasting the killing turns justice into spectacle, and legal experts noting Hasan could still file a habeas petition that delays the proceedings. The Pentagon has not detailed exactly how the public will be able to tune in, and officials acknowledge that Army regulations offer no established procedure for carrying out a firing-squad execution. Even so, Hegseth has stood firmly behind the decision, framing it as a direct and public reckoning for one of the deadliest attacks ever carried out on a U.S. military base.