The U.S. Army said they are not preparing to carry out executions for the military’s four death row inmates, rejecting reports that they were making moves to execute the inmates.A story by ABC News said that the Army had drawn up plans to execute its inmates on death row, awaiting President Donald Trump’s order to do so. However, an Army spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that any preparations for execution were part of routine drills conducted for the past 20 years.“There are currently four death sentence inmates at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks,” the Army spokesperson said. “The Secretary of the Army is the Department of War’s designated Executive Agent for Level III Corrections, which includes the responsibility to provide a facility for military executions.”
“Exercises regarding this operation have been conducted regularly for the past twenty years. These drills are a standard component of our continued planning and preparation if the President approves a death sentence,” the spokesperson said, adding that the president had not taken action.
Although military courts can impose death sentences, executions cannot proceed without presidential approval. The last military execution took place in 1961, when Pvt. John Bennett was put to death after being convicted of raping and attempting to murder an 11-year-old girl.
