Pete Hegseth Seeking Approval for First Military Execution Since 1961

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is calling for the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who in 2009 killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas.

Hegseth is seeking President Donald Trump’s official approval to execute the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 and wounded 32 others at the Texas military facility in November 2009.

“I am 100 percent committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan,” Hegseth said in a statement to The Hill.

“This savage terrorist deserves the harshest lawful punishment for his 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays,” Hegseth continued.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth will ask President Donald Trump to approve the execution of Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter who killed 14 people and injured dozens more in 2009.

https://t.co/nkeKEPswFr

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 25, 2025

The last time a military execution happened was when former soldier John Bennett was hanged in 1961.

Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 for the attack after being convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

Hasan, one of four prisoners facing possible execution by the military, has been on death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since his conviction.

This man mur*ered thirteen at Fort Hood and injured over thirty others.

He deserves execution. https://t.co/yWMKYs9K38

— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) September 24, 2025

The legal challenges to the conviction and sentence ended in April, clearing away legal obstacles to the execution.

After Hasan was found guilty in 2013, Jerri Krueger, mother of Staff Sgt. Amy S. Krueger, who was killed in the Fort Hood attack, wrote: “Although the pain of losing Amy will always weigh heavy upon us, we have some relief knowing that Hasan was found guilty without doubt and that he will pay for what he did,” according to the Army.

Today, August 7, is the birthday of Staff Sergeant Amy Sue Krueger. She would be 44 but died in the 2009 Ft Hood attack at 29. Strong, determined, and powerful, Amy was a beloved daughter. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, shooting pool and playing sheepshead. pic.twitter.com/goVxJtQBJm

— The Birthday Fairy Project 🟧 (@TBFPToodle_oo) August 7, 2024

At the time, as the appeals process began, she said she would have been content with life without parole for Hasan, although she was not opposed to his execution.

“I know he’s sitting in a four-by-eight cell, and that’s all that matters to me,” she said then, according to WISN-TV.

As noted by the Army, victims of the massacre were awarded Purple Hearts in 2015, after Congress intervened.

Prior to the attack, Hasan had communicated with Yemeni-American imam Anwar al-Awlaki,, a 2018 review of Hasan’s case by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism revealed.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.