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Pentagon Plans to Livestream Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution
The U.S. military is preparing to do something it has not done in modern times: livestream an execution to the public. The man at the center of the decision is Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009.
Then-U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan pictured at the Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas. (Bell County Sheriff's Department)
The Pentagon confirmed on October 8 that Hasan’s scheduled December 3 execution by firing squad will be livestreamed. The announcement has reignited a debate over capital punishment, military justice and whether making an execution public serves accountability or turns it into a spectacle.
Hasan’s case dates back to November 5, 2009, when he opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. He was convicted at a court-martial in 2013 and sentenced to death. The attack remains one of the deadliest shootings on a U.S. military installation.
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The latest development followed President Donald Trump’s approval of the execution and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s public comments about how it would be carried out. Hegseth said people would be able to watch because, in his view, the public should understand that serious consequences follow such crimes. The Pentagon subsequently confirmed that the execution would be livestreamed.
The plan is unusual. Executions in the United States have generally been witnessed by a limited group that may include relatives of victims, the condemned person’s representatives and members of the media. Broadcasting a U.S. military execution live to the public would mark a major departure from that practice. Legal experts have questioned the ethical and policy implications, including concerns about dignity and whether the government is turning punishment into a spectacle.
The execution is scheduled to take place at Fort Hood at 1 p.m. on December 3. If carried out, it would be the military’s first execution since 1961 and its first firing-squad execution since 1945. However, the date is not necessarily final: Hasan may still pursue legal challenges that could delay the process.
For the families of the victims, the case has carried the weight of a 17-year wait for the sentence to be carried out. For critics of the livestream plan, the question is different: does public access strengthen confidence in military justice, or does it cross a line between transparency and spectacle?
The Pentagon has announced its plan. The larger debate is only beginning.
Editor’s Note: Nidal Malik Hasan was convicted by a military court for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting and sentenced to death. His execution is scheduled for December 3, 2026, but legal proceedings could affect the date. The livestream plan and its implementation remain subject to official details.
