Army plans Operation Resolute Justice for four executions

The U.S. Army has developed detailed contingency plans to carry out executions of four condemned service members, should President Donald Trump authorize them, according to an internal planning document. The plan, known as Operation Resolute Justice, would mark the first military executions since 1961.

The document, which was circulated internally in February, outlines procedures for transferring the four death row inmates from the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. The plan requires the military to be ready to carry out executions no later than 150 days from the date of presidential approval. It includes coordination with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, security protocols, and public communications strategies.

Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith characterized the planning as routine, stating that exercises for such an operation have been conducted regularly for the past 20 years. She emphasized that these drills are a standard component of continued planning and that no order from the president has been received. Under military law, courts can impose death sentences, but a presidential authorization is...