US Army Prepares for Potential Executions as Defence Secretary Vows 'Justice Without Delays'

The US Army is preparing for the possible executions of four prisoners on military death row, in what could result in the first US military execution since 1961.

The preparations were detailed in an internal planning document issued in February. Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith said the exercises form part of routine contingency planning, while the Army had not received a specific order from President Donald Trump to proceed with an execution.

US Military Execution Plans Take Shape

The document, titled 'Operation Resolute Justice', outlines plans for prisoners to be transferred from the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The US military has not executed since 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was executed after being convicted of raping and attempting to murder an 11-year-old girl in Austria.

The Army's legal journal confirmed in May 2026 that Bennett's execution remains the most recent US military execution.

Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith said exercises connected with a potential execution have been conducted regularly for 20 years.

'Exercises regarding this operation have been conducted regularly for the past 20 years. These drills are a standard component of our continued planning and preparation if the president approves a death sentence,' Smith said.

Smith also said the Army had not received a specific order from Trump to proceed. The internal plan reportedly directs several Army organisations to prepare for and facilitate executions no later than 150 days from the date of presidential approval of the death sentences.

The document also reportedly covers planning meetings, procedures and media arrangements, including provisions for journalists to witness an execution.

The Army has not said that an execution has been scheduled.

Four Prisoners Remain On Military Death Row

The Army's May 2026 legal review identifies four prisoners currently on military death row: Ronald Gray, Hasan Akbar, Timothy Hennis and Maj. Nidal M. Hasan.

Former Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal M. Hasan is one of the four prisoners. Hasan was convicted by a general court-martial in 2013 and sentenced to death following the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas, in which 13 people were killed and another 32 were targeted.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in September that he would seek Hasan's execution.

'I am 100% committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan. The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays,' Hegseth said.

According to the Army's May 2026 legal review, Hegseth formally requested in September 2025 that Trump sign the death warrant approving and ordering Hasan's execution.

The other prisoners have separate cases. Former Army specialist Ronald A. Gray served as a cook with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In late 1986, he murdered two women, attempted to murder a third and raped all three, according to the Army's legal review. He was later convicted at a general court-martial and sentenced to death.

Gray's execution was approved by President George W. Bush in July 2008 and initially scheduled for December that year. A federal judge later halted it, with the stay eventually lifted by another judge in 2016. Gray remains the only current military death-row prisoner whose execution has previously received presidential approval, according to the Army's legal review.

Former Master Sgt. Timothy B. Hennis was convicted and sentenced to death by a general court-martial in 2010 for raping and killing a woman and her two daughters, according to the Army's legal review.

Former Army Sgt. Hasan K. Akbar was convicted after a March 2003 attack in Kuwait in which he murdered two officers and attempted to murder 16 others. A general court-martial sentenced him to death in 2005, according to the Army's legal review.

Presidential approval is required before a military execution can take place, according to the Army's legal review. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether Trump intends to approve any of the military death sentences, with the inquiry referred to the Army.

For now, the Army says it is preparing for a possibility, not carrying out an execution order.