Pentagon plans to broadcast the first military execution in 65 years live

The US Department of Defense plans to broadcast live the execution of former US Army major Nidal Hasan, convicted of mass murder at Fort Hood military base in Texas. The sentence is scheduled to be carried out on December 3 by firing squad.

This is reported by NBC News citing US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and a Pentagon spokesperson.

Hegseth stated that the execution will take place at the same military base where the convicted man committed the crime. It is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. local time. The Secretary emphasized that the carrying out of the death sentence should be accessible for viewing by the general public to demonstrate the seriousness of punishment for such crimes.

Subsequently, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that the execution will be broadcast live. At the same time, the department has not yet specified on which platform the broadcast will take place and what the access procedure will be.

US President Donald Trump previously approved Hegseth's proposal to carry out the death sentence by firing squad. The relevant decision was made after years of judicial proceedings in the case.

Nidal Hasan, who worked as a military psychiatrist, opened fire at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. As a result of the attack, 13 people were killed and 32 others were wounded. In 2013, a military court found him guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced him to death.

The planned execution could be the first in the US armed forces in 65 years. The last time the US military carried out a death sentence was in 1961, when a convicted soldier was hanged. Firing squad as a method of military execution was last used in 1945 - when Private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion.

According to CBS News, the decision to organize an open broadcast is highly untypical for American practice. Usually, executions can only be witnessed by a limited circle of people, in particular relatives of the victims and journalists.

At the same time, the execution on December 3 is not yet definitively guaranteed. As noted by the Death Penalty Information Center, Hasan retains the right to appeal the death sentence in federal civil courts. If he uses this mechanism, the execution of the punishment may be postponed indefinitely.

Source materials: NBC News, CBS News, Death Penalty Information Center