Hegseth Orders Public Livestream Plan for Hasan Execution

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a plan to publicly livestream the firing squad execution of convicted Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan, a move that surprised officials across the Pentagon and Army after it was revealed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during an interview Wednesday.

CNN reported that many military officials first learned of the proposal through Hegseth's remarks, prompting questions about how a public execution would be conducted under existing Army rules.

Hegseth announced the plan while welcoming the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln home from a monthslong deployment to the Middle East. He said the public viewing would show the consequences of Hasan's actions.

"We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things," said Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense.

According to CNN, Hegseth, acting Army Secretary Adam Telle, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell and his staff determined that the term public would mean the execution would be livestreamed. The Pentagon later confirmed the plan in a statement.

"The Secretary is correct. It will be livestreamed. Details will follow," said the Pentagon in a statement.

Army regulations allow military executions to be viewed by certain groups, including family members of the prisoner and victims, media representatives and a chaplain. Officials continued working on details surrounding the proposed livestream.

President Donald Trump expressed support for the firing squad execution during the week, but later said he had not made a final decision about whether it would be livestreamed.

"if that’s actually going to happen," said JD Vance, Vice President, while questioning whether the livestream would proceed.

Vance also said he would not watch the execution if it happened. Trump said the decision would ultimately be his after discussing what the military wanted to do.

"I’m not going to be watching it," said JD Vance, Vice President.

The proposal has drawn criticism from some service members and veterans, including an Army officer who told CNN that making troops participate in a public execution could have lasting effects.

"It takes away everything America stands for when we do public executions," said an Army officer with multiple deployments to the Middle East.

The Army officer told CNN that troops could face serious psychological consequences from carrying out the execution. The military has selected a specific unit to conduct the firing squad, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Officials are also examining questions about whether soldiers can decline participation and how the identities of those involved would be protected during a livestream. A source familiar with the planning said the situation differs from combat experiences.

"taken a life in combat," said a source familiar with the matter, describing experiences some soldiers may have had before this situation.

The source said Hasan's execution presents a different circumstance because it involves a prisoner who is no longer a combatant. The official added that planners are considering the effects on participating soldiers.

"This is a situation where the guy has done a very bad thing and hurt a lot of people, years removed," said a source familiar with the matter.

The same source described concerns about the physical circumstances of the execution and how the event would appear if shown publicly.

"He’s going to be immobile and put up like a target," said a source familiar with the matter.

Hasan was convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others, and officials continued reviewing the livestream plan after the announcement.