Pentagon Seeks Execution Of The 2009 Fort Hood Shooter After Long Wait

The Pentagon is preparing to make a request involving the man convicted in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. 

The Pentagon Wants the President to Authorize an Execution  

Former Army Major Nidal Hasan was convicted in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. According to Fox News, the Pentagon wants President Trump to authorize Hasan's execution, making it the first military execution in more than 60 years. 

The Obama Administration Labeled the Fort Hood Shooting Workplace Violence 

Hasan admitted during his trial that the mass killing was necessary to protect the "Islamic Empire" from the American military. Despite the admission, the Obama Administration labeled the shooting workplace violence. Hasan opened fire in Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Center with a semi-automatic pistol as soldiers prepared to deploy. 

The Legal Process 

 In 2013, Hasan was convicted and sentenced to death by a military jury and sent to death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Hasan’s final legal challenge was tossed out this past April. Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth  told Fox News, "This savage terrorist deserves the harshest lawful punishment for his 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays." 

There are Four Military Members On Death Row

As of 2025,  four former soldiers convicted of murder are on death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The men are listed below in the order that they were sentenced.

Ronald Gray: Sentenced in 1988 for multiple murders and rapes near Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Hasan Akbar: Sentenced in 2005 for a 2003 hand grenade and shooting attack on fellow soldiers at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait. Two servicemen were killed. Fourteen soldiers were wounded.

Timothy Hennis: Sentenced in 2010 for the 1985 murders of a woman and her two daughters in North Carolina. 

Nidal Hasan: Sentenced in 2013 for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people and wounded  32 others.

The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961.