Under military law, a service member’s execution requires explicit authorization from the U.S. president, followed by exhaustive appellate review and a final legal judgment before the sentence can be carried out.
The U.S. military has not conducted an execution since 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged for the rape of an 11-year-old Austrian girl. President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the sentence, which proceeded despite a clemency appeal to his successor, John F. Kennedy, from the victim’s family.
The last execution by firing squad occurred in January 1945, when Army Private Eddie Slovik was shot for desertion during the final months of World War II.
While the incoming administration has not explicitly advocated for public executions, it has a long-standing record of supporting capital punishment. In 1989, for instance, the president-elect purchased full-page advertisements in major New York newspapers calling for the execution of the Central Park Five—individuals later exonerated of the crimes for which they were convicted.
Following a 17-year hiatus in federal executions, the government carried out 13 executions during the final year of the previous presidential term. Upon returning to office in January, the administration immediately rescinded the moratorium on federal executions imposed by the prior White House and signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty vigorously in the interest of public safety.
