Military Chiefs Revolt Over Hegseth’s ‘Barbaric’ Execution Plan
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images Dozens of retired American military leaders have demanded Pete Hegseth scrap his “barbaric” plan to livestream the execution of a convicted mass murderer.
The extraordinary intervention by 72 former senior officers—including generals, admirals and military lawyers—comes as outrage grows over the defense secretary’s decision to broadcast the killing of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, 56, by firing squad on December 3.
Hasan was convicted in 2013 of shooting dead 13 people and attempting to murder 32 more during his November 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.
He was left partially paralyzed after being shot by police during the attack.
In an open letter dated Wednesday, the veterans warn that using Hasan’s execution as a ghoulish public spectacle would violate fundamental principles of human dignity, disgrace the military—and potentially put the lives of U.S. service personnel in jeopardy.
The officers point out that Army regulations strictly limit who can witness executions, ban children from attending and prohibit journalists from conducting interviews at the execution site.
They argue that opening the killing to a global audience would undermine the dignity and solemnity those rules are designed to preserve.
It would also, they argue, hand extremists a powerful propaganda weapon that would turn the convicted killer into a martyr and potentially lead to further attacks on American citizens.
“It turns what should be the solemn and grave punishment of a member of our society for committing the most serious crimes into a carnival for the enjoyment of voyeurs and spectators,” the letter reads.
“This type of exploitative broadcasting—that debases human dignity—will taint the honor of the military that employs it, and a nation that allows it.
It will be used by our nation’s enemies to stoke hatred, harm American soldiers and citizens in the future, and will ensure that Hasan becomes a martyr for attacking and killing his fellow soldiers.” Signatories include retired four-star Army Gen.
Johnnie Wilson, retired three-star Army Gen.
Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to attain that rank in the Army, and retired two-star Marine Maj.
Gen.
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