Hegseth says that the execution of a military prisoner in the USA will be "public"

WashingtonSecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has announced that Nidal Hasan's military execution by firing squad will be "public" and carried out by the "soldiers" of Fort Hood themselves. "We will make sure people can see it. That it be public. Because people need to understand the consequences of these types of things," the Pentagon chief stated Thursday on the Real America's Voice podcast. The execution is scheduled for December 3rd. A fact that has already been confirmed by the Department of Defense.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump, approved the military execution by firing squad for Hasan, a former military psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded 32 during a shooting at the Fort Hood military base, Texas, in 2009. It is the first time since at least 1945 that a military execution has been carried out under these conditions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The last time the army executed a soldier, however, was in the early 60s, when John A. Bennet was hanged. The only countries that still carry out these types of public executions are Iran and Afghanistan.

"We haven't done this since World War II," Hegseth said on Thursday, explaining that the firing squad was an "obvious decision." "It's the kind of mentality we had during World War II, which led to a victory. It was about understanding that when the enemy attacks you, you stay on the field." It is not the first time that the Secretary of Defense has expressed his obsession with this supposed "warrior" mentality.

Last year, Hegseth gathered all the high-ranking army officers at Quantico to warn them that he would restore the "warrior ethos" to the army and accused them of having allowed the existence of "fat" and "bearded" people in their ranks. Last July, he also announced testosterone tests for soldiers over 30 years old. All, to ensure a "good biological foundation" and that the troops are at the "forefront of lethality".

Another warning to sailors

The decision to publicly broadcast the execution by firing squad and to lecture the rest of the military comes amidst the climate of fear that has been established at the Pentagon following the purge implemented by Hegseth. Numerous generals in key positions have been dismissed or forced to resign, and a replacement has not yet been found. It is inevitable to see the broadcast of the execution as a warning to others by the White House in a context where the administration wants to tighten its grip on the army.

Last week, the Secretary of Defense announced that he was reducing the number of generals and admirals in the U.S. military by 20% amidst the problems it faces in filling vacancies in critical leadership positions. All this, amidst Washington's stalemate in the war against Iran.

Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 by a military court and has since been awaiting the final sentence. Within military jurisdiction, it is the U.S. President, who is also the "commander-in-chief," who has the final say on the method to be applied.

Although rare, firing squad executions are still legal in five states: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. Last year, South Carolina executed a prisoner by firing squad for the first time in the U.S. in 15 years.

Trump and his government have been openly favorable to the death penalty and, in fact, the U.S. President has repeatedly shown himself to be in favor of expanding its application. Last year, the Department of Justice (by then already controlled by Todd Blanche, the magnate's former lawyer) published a report in which it considered that the United States should bring back firing squads as execution methods for the most serious federal crimes. The document also proposed the use of other practices, such as gas asphyxiation.