The Pentagon was surprised by Hegseth's decision to carry out a public execution

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement of his intention to broadcast live the execution of US military psychiatrist Nidal Hassan, who committed the Fort Hood massacre, caught Pentagon officials by surprise because they did not understand what it meant. CNN reports this with reference to three sources.

The fact is that the American army strictly stipulates who can observe the execution of a death sentence - these are, for example, relatives of the convicted and the victim, representatives of the media and the priest.

However, Hegseth himself, Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell decided that publicity meant televising.

The very idea shocked active military personnel and veterans, and also caused negative reactions from representatives of both parties. President Donald Trump initially supported the idea, but later said the decision to broadcast was made without him, although he understands the reasons. Vice President J.D. Vance doubted that the broadcast would actually take place, but stressed that even if it did, he did not intend to watch a public execution.

To date, it is still unclear how exactly the broadcast will be organized and which TV channels and platforms will agree to broadcast it. The crime occurred in 2009. During his arrest, Khasan was wounded and left paralyzed, so the military will have to shoot the disabled man.