Vance Questions Pentagon Plan to Livestream Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution

US Vice President JD Vance has expressed doubts about whether the Pentagon will proceed with plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas.

Vance made the remarks on Friday, October 9, as the proposal sparked widespread criticism from lawmakers, religious leaders and human rights advocates who questioned the decision to broadcast a military execution publicly.

Hasan was convicted by a military jury in 2013 for the shooting spree that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at the Texas military base in November 2009. The attack occurred at a medical processing facility as soldiers prepared for deployment.

“I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen,” Vance told reporters when asked about the planned livestream. He added that if the execution is broadcast, he would not watch it.

The Pentagon announced that Hasan would be executed by firing squad on December 3 at Fort Hood, the military installation where he carried out the deadly attack. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended making the execution public, arguing that it would demonstrate the serious consequences of such crimes.

The planned execution would mark a major moment in US military justice, as the country has not carried out a military execution since 1961. It would also be an unprecedented livestream of a lawful US military execution.

President Donald Trump has voiced support for Hasan’s execution by firing squad. On Friday, Trump also confirmed that he had approved the livestream plan, saying he had authorised it when asked by reporters.

His position contrasts with Vance’s expressed uncertainty about whether the broadcast will go ahead, although Vance did not challenge the death sentence itself.

Vance stressed that the controversy surrounding the execution method should not overshadow the victims and the seriousness of Hasan’s crimes.

Vance stressed that the controversy surrounding the execution method should not overshadow the victims and the seriousness of Hasan’s crimes.

The proposal has exposed divisions within the Republican Party, with some members supporting the punishment but opposing a public broadcast. Senator Thom Tillis described the livestream proposal as “beyond disgusting,” arguing that public executions are associated with oppressive regimes.

Senator John Curtis also criticised the plan, warning that broadcasting an execution could diminish the country’s values rather than serve as an effective deterrent.

The proposed broadcast has drawn condemnation from religious leaders and human rights advocates, who argue that livestreaming an execution risks turning a judicial punishment into a public spectacle.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, criticised the proposal as a promotion of a “culture of death” and called for it to be reconsidered. The Catholic Church opposes capital punishment, adding another dimension to the debate surrounding Vance’s response.

The United Nations human rights office has also warned that public executions constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment. Former US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent argued that broadcasting Hasan’s death could provide extremist groups with propaganda material to recruit and radicalise supporters.

Other critics say the broadcast could draw renewed attention to Hasan rather than honouring the victims and their families. Supporters of the plan, however, maintain that making the execution public could demonstrate the consequences of mass violence.

It remains unclear how the livestream would be distributed, what safeguards would apply to viewers and whether the plan could face further legal challenges before the scheduled execution date.

The controversy has therefore extended beyond Hasan’s sentence to broader questions about capital punishment, government transparency, public decency and the role of televised violence in deterring crime.