Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Charged Under Article 112a in the Air Force
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) account for 705 Air Force drug courts-martial under Article 112a from 2016–2025. Only 18% of those with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 21% for all Air Force Article 112a cases.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4)
Short answer: Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) account for 705 Air Force drug courts-martial under Article 112a from 2016–2025. Only 18% of those with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 21% for all Air Force Article 112a cases. 48% of the convicted received a punitive discharge, compared with 45%.
Most Air Force Drug Cases Involve Junior Enlisted Members
Junior enlisted members were 79% of the accused in all Air Force Article 112a cases. They are the largest rank group for this offense. The 705 cases were tried from February 2016 through December 2025.
There were 81 cases in 2016. The highest yearly count was 123, in 2017, followed by 102 in 2018 and 118 in 2019. The count was lower each year after that: 76 in 2020, 57 in 2021, 51 in 2022, and 35 in 2023. There were 30 cases in 2024 and 32 in 2025. The records do not show the reason for the decrease.
Most Cases Charged Only Drug Offenses
In 453 of the 705 cases, Article 112a was the only article charged. Across all Air Force Article 112a cases, 574 of 888 charged it alone.
When other articles were charged, orders violations under Article 92 were the most common, in 102 cases. The general article, Article 134, was charged in 62 cases, AWOL under Article 86 in 49, false official statements under Article 107 in 41, and assault under Article 128 in 26. A sentence covers every charge, so these other charges are part of the punishment figures.
Most Pleaded Guilty
Only 253 of the 705 records list a plea. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea. Of the 253, 208 accused pleaded guilty and 45 contested at least one charge by pleading not guilty in full or in part.
The contested share was 18%, slightly lower than the 21% for all Air Force Article 112a cases.
Members Heard Most Contested Cases
The forum is listed for 700 cases. A military judge alone decided guilt in 539 of them (77%). Members heard 161: 127 officer panels and 34 enlisted panels.
Members heard 40 of the 45 contested cases (89%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The high judge-alone share therefore follows from the low number of contested cases.
Most Confinement Was Measured in Months
91% of the 699 convictions included confinement. Half of the terms were 3 months or less, the same median as all Air Force Article 112a cases. A quarter were 5 months or longer.
498 convictions (71%) were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 69% for all Air Force Article 112a cases. 37 of 699 convictions (5%) were sentenced to more than one year, the same rate as for the offense as a whole. 31 of those were between 1 year and 5 years, and 6 were 5 years or more. 66 convictions (9%) had no confinement, lower than the 13% for all Article 112a cases. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force Article 112a cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 66 | 9% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 498 | 71% | 69% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 98 | 14% | 14% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 31 | 4% | 4% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 1% | 1% |
Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial
603 of the 705 cases were special courts-martial, and 102 (14%) were general courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
In the special courts-martial, the median confinement was 2 months and 14% of cases were contested. In the general courts-martial, the median confinement was 10 months and 36% were contested.
Punitive Discharges for 48%
48% of convictions included a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, slightly higher than the 45% for all Air Force Article 112a cases. There were 315 bad-conduct discharges and 20 dishonorable discharges. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge, and general courts-martial heard 14% of these cases.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation afterward. These records do not show administrative separations.
Where These Cases Were Tried
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, tried 35 cases, and Nellis AFB, Nevada, tried 30. McConnell AFB, Kansas, and Dyess AFB, Texas, each tried 29, and Holloman AFB, New Mexico, tried 28. Together these bases account for 21% of the 705 cases. The rest were tried at many other installations. Large bases try more cases of every kind.
Rule Changes and What the Records Do Not Show
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. The special trial counsel and judge sentencing changes began on December 28, 2023. Each applies by offense date, which the records do not give. The cases therefore cannot be sorted by which rules applied to them.
Air Force records rarely list the charges in a full acquittal, so this page gives no acquittal rate. The records also do not show the evidence, plea terms, or nonjudicial punishment.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial tried 2016–2025 that charged junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) under Article 112a (705 cases), compared with every Air Force Article 112a case.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- Army Drug Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Charged Under Article 112a in the Army
- Air Force Drug Cases Against NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Outcomes and Sentences
- Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025
- Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025
- Article 112a explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 · Drug Distribution: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.