The US Army is making preparations for potential executions under the instruction of President Donald Trump, as revealed in an internal planning document obtained by ABC News. If executed, this plan would mark the first time in over fifty years that the military has carried out the death penalty on convicted American prisoners. Known as “Operation Resolute Justice,” the strategy mandates coordination between Army officials and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to transfer condemned inmates from the US Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana.
While the Justice Department oversaw non-military federal executions during Trump’s first term at the Terre Haute facility, the military has not executed a service member since 1961. Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith stated that planning exercises for executions have been conducted regularly over the past two decades in anticipation of potential directives from the White House. No official order from the president has been received yet.
Although military courts can sentence individuals to death, presidential approval is necessary for any execution to proceed. The White House has not responded to requests for comments from ABC News. Internally, the Army has directed various divisions to prepare for and facilitate executions within 150 days of presidential approval of death sentences. Detailed timelines for progress meetings, execution protocols, and public announcement procedures have been outlined in the instructions.
Under Trump’s administration, the number of federal executions has nearly doubled, with the Department of Justice expanding the range of execution methods to include firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution. The department believes that diversifying these methods will strengthen the death penalty, serve as a deterrent for heinous crimes, provide closure to victims’ families, and ensure preparedness for executions even in the absence of specific drugs.
This surge in federal executions contrasts with the moratorium imposed by the Biden administration and the absence of federal executions during Barack Obama’s presidency.