> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How Air Force Drug Cases Ended in 2024 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2024/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:15:51.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:46:45.000Z - Description: In 2024, 47 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 112a (drug). The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 5 months for all Air Force cases that year. 39% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge, compared with 62% Air Force-wide. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 112a, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 112a](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) › Air Force, 2024 **Short answer:** In 2024, 47 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 112a (drug). The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 5 months for all Air Force cases that year. 39% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge, compared with 62% Air Force-wide. The contested share was 33%, compared with 12% in 2023. Based on 47 cases · 2024 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## More Accused Contested the Charges The largest change from 2023 was in pleas. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. 36 of the 47 records list a plea. Of those, 24 were guilty pleas and 12 were contested, a contested share of 33%. In 2023, the share for drug cases was 12%. Drug cases were still contested less often than all Air Force cases, where the share was 45% in 2024. ## Members Heard Most Contested Cases The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. A military judge alone decided 37 cases. Members heard 21% of cases with the forum listed: 8 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. Members heard 10 of the 12 contested cases (83%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. In a year with more contested drug cases, members therefore heard more cases. ## Short Sentences and Fewer Punitive Discharges 30 of 38 convictions included confinement, and the median confinement was 2 months. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover all charges in the case. 26 convictions (68%) were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 44% for all Air Force cases. 8 convictions (21%) had no confinement, compared with 17%. Only 1 of 38 convictions (3%) was sentenced to more than one year, compared with 28% Air Force-wide. None was sentenced to 5 years or more. For enlisted members, a punitive discharge means a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. 13 of 33 enlisted convictions (39%) included one, and 1 was dishonorable. The Air Force rate was 62%. The rate for drug cases was 50% in 2023. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in 2024 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------- | | No confinement | 8 | 21% | 17% | | Under 6 months | 26 | 68% | 44% | | 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 8% | 11% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 1 | 3% | 22% | | 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 6% | ## Officers in This Group The accused were 30 junior enlisted members, 10 NCOs, and 7 officers. The records list 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 4 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. The dismissal rate for officers, 4 of 5, was higher than the 39% punitive discharge rate for enlisted members here. It is based on very few cases. This group was still more junior than all Air Force cases in 2024\. A convicted member who does not receive a punitive discharge may still face administrative separation. These records do not show administrative separations. ## Similar Sentences at Both Court Levels A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. 10 of these 47 cases were general courts-martial (21%), and 37 were special courts-martial. The median confinement was 3 months in the general courts-martial and 2 months in the special courts-martial. The medians at the 2 court levels were closer than in most years. ## Compared With 2023 There were 43 cases in 2023 and 47 in 2024\. The median confinement was 2 months in both years. The share of convictions with confinement was 95% in 2023 and 79% in 2024\. General courts-martial were 16% of cases in 2023 and 21% in 2024\. In a group this size, a few cases can change these figures. | | 2023 | 2024 | | ----------------------------- | -------- | -------- | | Cases | 43 | 47 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 12% | 33% | | Convictions with confinement | 95% | 79% | | Median confinement | 2 months | 2 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 50% | 39% | | General courts-martial | 16% | 21% | ## Other Charges and Locations Article 112a was the only charge in 32 of 47 cases. Other charges included Article 92 (orders violation) in 8 cases, Article 134 (general article) in 4, Article 86 (AWOL) in 3, and Article 91 (insubordination) and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 2 each. McConnell AFB, Kansas, tried 8 of these cases, the most of any installation. Eglin AFB, Florida, tried 5, and JBSA - Lackland, Texas, tried 3\. RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, and Ft Meade, Maryland, each tried 2\. Together these installations account for 43% of the total. A high count alone does not mean a base has a problem with this offense. ## New Rules and What the Records Do Not Show Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel rather than commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. When all guilty findings are for offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both changes depend on offense dates, which the records do not give. Trials in 2024 therefore include cases under both the old and new rules. The records cannot show whether either change affected these numbers. Air Force records rarely list the charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements, so this page gives no acquittal rate. The records also do not show the evidence or nonjudicial punishment. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 112a on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in 2024 that charged Article 112a (47 cases), compared with all Air Force cases that year and with 2023. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2023/) (previous / next) - [Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2025/) (previous / next) - [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) (the full trend) - [Air Force Article 112a Cases in 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2017/) - [Air Force Article 112a Cases in 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2021/) - [Air Force Article 112a Cases in 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2022/) - [Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2019/) - [S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s3e52-what-you-need-to-know-about-positive-uas-in-the-military/) (podcast, members) - [Article 112a explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2023/)Next: [Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-2025/) → **Compare: federal court.** [Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-vs-air-force/) · [Drug Distribution: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-vs-air-force/) **About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.