The U.S. Army is prepared to carry out the first military executions in 50 years, should President Trump issue the order. According to ABC News, plans involve relocating four death row inmates to a federal execution facility in Indiana. The Justice Department had previously indicated an intention to lift the moratorium on executions.
The United States Army stands ready to execute four inmates who have been sentenced to death, contingent upon an order from U.S. President Donald Trump. This would mark the first military execution to take place in the United States in over half a century, as reported by ABC News, which gained access to an internal military document.
The document, identified as “Operation Determination Justice” and issued in February, instructs Army officials to collaborate with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This collaboration aims to transfer the convicted individuals from disciplinary barracks in Kansas to the federal execution center located in Indiana. It is at this facility that the Department of Justice conducted a series of non-military executions during Trump’s initial term, the news channel notes.
No military personnel have been executed in the U.S. since 1961. In that year, Private John Bennett was executed for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Austria, ABC specifies.
In response, Army representative Cynthia Smith stated that the service conducts execution planning drills, similar to those for other potential missions, as the military routinely anticipates directives from the White House.
“Drills related to this operation have been conducted regularly over the past two decades. These drills are a standard component of our ongoing planning and preparation should the President approve a death sentence,” Smith commented, adding that no specific directive has yet been received from the President.
Last year, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the death penalty for murders committed in Washington D.C., citing the capital’s unique status. The nation’s Justice Department at that time pledged to seek the broader application of capital punishment across the entire United States.
In April of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its intention to resume federal executions, ending the moratorium and expanding the methods available for carrying out sentences, including firing squads.
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