Air Force Article 113 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025
From 2021–2025, 52 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 113, which has covered drunken or reckless driving since 2019 and misbehavior of a sentinel before that. These cases were about 4% of the 1,201 Air Force cases in those years.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 113 › Air Force
Short answer: From 2021–2025, 52 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 113, which has covered drunken or reckless driving since 2019 and misbehavior of a sentinel before that. These cases were about 4% of the 1,201 Air Force cases in those years. Only 31% were contested, compared with 48% across the Air Force. 43% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 59% in the rest of the Air Force.
A Small Share of Cases That Changed Little
Article 113 has covered drunken or reckless driving since 2019, so every case in this period is under that version of the article. The records run from January 2021 to December 2025. There were 13 cases in 2021, 11 in 2022, 8 in 2023, 8 in 2024, and 12 in 2025.
The offense was about the same share of Air Force convictions throughout. In 2021–2022, Article 113 was part of 24 of 410 convictions (6%). In 2024–2025, it was part of 19 of 342 (6%). The yearly share was between 5% and 7%. The highest yearly count of convictions including the article was 13, in 2021.
| Year | Convictions incl. Art. 113 | All convictions with offenses listed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 | 202 | 6% |
| 2022 | 11 | 208 | 5% |
| 2023 | 8 | 152 | 5% |
| 2024 | 8 | 173 | 5% |
| 2025 | 11 | 169 | 7% |
Most Accused Pleaded Guilty
49 of the 52 records list a plea. 34 were guilty pleas and 15 were contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, either fully or through a mixed plea.
The contested share was 31%, much lower than the 48% for the Air Force as a whole. Driving cases in this period were contested less often than Air Force courts-martial overall.
Who Decided Guilt
A military judge alone decided guilt in 41 of the 52 cases (79%). Panels of members heard the other 11: 7 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels. The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel.
Members heard 11 of the 15 contested cases (73%). The judge-alone cases here were mostly guilty pleas, so the split between judge and members follows the number of contested cases.
Most Confinement Terms Were Short
51 of the 52 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. 46 of those sentences included confinement (90%). The median confinement was 4 months, close to the 5 months for the Air Force as a whole. A quarter of terms were 8 months or longer.
61% of convictions here were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 46% in the rest of the Air Force. 8 of 51 convictions (16%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 26% Air Force-wide. 10% were sentenced to more than 1 year and under 5 years, compared with 19%.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 10% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 31 | 61% | 46% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 14% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 10% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 6% | 7% |
Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial
Only 11 of the 52 cases were general courts-martial (21%), compared with 55% for the Air Force as a whole. The other 41 were special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Sentences differed by court level. Every general court-martial conviction (100%) included confinement, and the median was 2.2 years. In the special courts-martial, 88% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 3 months.
Discharges and Dismissals
43% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge: 19 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. In the rest of the Air Force, the share was 59%.
The cases also include 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 2 of them were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence with no punitive discharge or dismissal does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Other Charges, Rank, and Locations
Article 113 was the only charge in 12 of the 52 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) was the most common other charge, in 14 cases. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 10, Article 87a (resisting apprehension) in 7, Article 128 (assault) in 6, and Article 134 (general article) in 5.
The accused were 35 junior enlisted members, 13 NCOs, and 4 officers. This group is more junior than the rest of the Air Force. JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, tried 6 cases. JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, JB Charleston, South Carolina, Creech AFB, Nevada, and MacDill AFB, Florida, each tried 3. Together these installations had 35% of the total.
What These Records Do Not Show
Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal, so this page gives no acquittal rate for Article 113. The records also never report plea agreements and do not describe the evidence.
New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so trials from 2024 on include cases under both the old and new rules. Driving incidents handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative action do not appear.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 113 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial tried 2021–2025 that charged Article 113 (52 cases). The trend line uses convictions whose records list the offenses found, by trial year.
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 113 (Misbehavior of a Sentinel Before 2019, Drunken or Reckless Driving Since): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Offense (hub)
- Is Army Drunken Or Reckless Driving Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 113, 2021–2025 (another service)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Drunken Or Reckless Driving Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 113, 2021–2025 (another service)
- Air Force Article 109 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025
- Air Force Article 115 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025
- Air Force Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025
- How Much Confinement for an Article 113 Conviction in the Air Force?
- Article 113 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.