Army lays groundwork for death row executions if Trump gives approval

The Army is preparing to carry out the executions of the military's four death-row inmates if ordered to do so by the president, according to an internal planning document reviewed by ABC News. If carried out, it would mark the first time the military executed convicted American inmates in more than a half-century

The plan, dubbed "Operation Resolute Justice" and issued internally in February, directs Army officials to coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to transfer condemned prisoners from the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, where the Justice Department carried out a series of non-military federal executions during President Donald Trump's first term.

The military has not executed a service member since 1961, when Pvt. John Bennett was put to death after being convicted of the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Austria.

Cynthia Smith, an Army spokesperson, said the service conducts planning exercises for executions, much as it does for other potential missions as the services regularly try to anticipate orders from the White House.

"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, adding that the service has not been given a specific order from the president.

The Army's internal plan directs multiple Army components to prepare for and facilitate executions "no later than 150 days from the date of presidential approval of the death sentences," laying out timelines for check-in meetings and procedures for carrying out executions should the president authorize them.

While military courts can impose death sentences, presidential approval is required before any execution can proceed. The White House did not respond to a request for comment when asked whether Trump intends to give approval to move forward with the execution of any of the military's death row inmates, referring ABC News to the Army.

The plan also addresses how the Army would manage public communications surrounding an execution, including provisions for media access to witness the executions.

The military news website Task & Purpose first reported on the planning effort.

Trump has used his second term to resuscitate the federal government's use of the death penalty. On his first day back in office, he signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to reinstate capital punishment and pursue its use more vigorously, following the Biden administration's pausing of federal executions.

There were also no federal executions under President Barack Obama. He commuted the death sentence of one military death row inmate, Dwight Loving, to a life sentence without parole. Loving was convicted of murdering two soldiers in 1988.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in September he would be seeking the execution of Nidal Hassan, who was sentenced to death for the Fort Hood mass shooting in 2009 which left 13 dead and 32 injured, according to The Hill.

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

In April, the Justice Department announced additional steps aimed at speeding the administration of executions, including expanding approved methods such as death by firing squad.

In May, Hegseth awarded Purple Hearts to nine veterans at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who were wounded in a 2003 attack at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait. The attack was carried out by Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar, a combat engineer who was convicted of premeditated murder and attempted murder for throwing grenades into tents and opening fire on fellow soldiers.

The Army's four death row inmates also include Ronald Gray, a former specialist and cook for the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Gray was convicted in 1988 on 14 charges, including three counts of premeditated murder, attempted murder and three counts of rape.

In July 2008, President George W. Bush approved Gray's execution with a date set for December that year. A federal judge halted the execution until that halt was lifted by another judge in 2016. Gray is the only current death row inmate for which a president has signed off on the execution.

Timothy Hennis, a former master sergeant who worked on parachutes in the 82nd Airborne Division, was convicted in 1986 in North Carolina state court of raping a woman and murdering her and two of her daughters. The conviction was later overturned for insufficient evidence, and a 1989 retrial ended in an acquittal.

Years later, preserved evidence was retested using DNA analysis not available at the time, prompting renewed scrutiny of the case.

Although double jeopardy protections barred another state prosecution, U.S. military prosecutors can still charge a former service member if the offense was committed while the service member was on active duty. Hennis, who had honorably left the Army in 2004, was recalled to active duty and tried again in military court where he was convicted and sentenced to die.