How Has Article 114 Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2021?
Air Force members convicted in Article 114 (endangerment) cases received a median confinement of 10 months, compared with 5 months across all Air Force cases in those years. The records hold 14 such cases from 2021–2025, and 13 ended in a conviction.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 4 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 114 › Air Force
Short answer: Air Force members convicted in Article 114 (endangerment) cases received a median confinement of 10 months, compared with 5 months across all Air Force cases in those years. The records hold 14 such cases from 2021–2025, and 13 ended in a conviction. A military judge alone decided 12 of the 14 cases.
Median Confinement of 10 Months
Of the 13 convictions, 12 included confinement (92%). The median was 10 months. A quarter of the confinement sentences were 3 years or longer. Across all Air Force cases in those years, the median was 5 months.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
Driving Offenses Often Charged Too
In 11 of the 14 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving) and Article 134 (general article) each appeared in 4 cases. Article 112a (drug), Article 87a (resisting apprehension), and Article 115 (communicating threats) each appeared in 2.
Fewer Panels Than the Air Force Overall
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Here a military judge alone decided 12 cases, and an enlisted panel decided 2. No officer panel heard a case. Members heard 14% of cases, compared with 33% across the whole Air Force.
Pleas
The plea is listed in 12 of the 14 records: 8 guilty pleas and 4 contested cases. A contested case has a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share of 33% is lower than the 48% across the whole Air Force.
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 62% of enlisted convictions: 5 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. In the rest of the Air Force, the share was 59%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Year by Year
The cases were tried from January 2021 through June 2025: 5 in 2021, 0 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 3 in 2024, and 2 in 2025. They are 1% of the 1,201 Air Force courts-martial in those years.
Share of Air Force Convictions Over Time
Among Air Force convictions with the offenses listed, Article 114 was part of 5 of 410 in 2021–2022 (1%) and 4 of 342 in 2024–2025 (1%), about the same share. The yearly count of convictions including Article 114 was highest in 2021, at 5.
| Year | Convictions incl. Art. 114 | All convictions with offenses listed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 | 202 | 2% |
| 2022 | 0 | 208 | 0% |
| 2023 | 4 | 152 | 3% |
| 2024 | 3 | 173 | 2% |
| 2025 | 1 | 169 | 1% |
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 10 junior enlisted members and 4 NCOs, a more junior group than the whole Air Force. No officers were charged. Of the 14 cases, 7 were general courts-martial (50%), compared with 55% across the whole Air Force. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
What the Records Cannot Show
Since December 28, 2023, new rules on who decides to prosecute certain offenses and on sentencing apply based on the offense date. The records give only trial dates, so the 2024 and 2025 cases may include both old-rule and new-rule cases. Air Force records never report plea agreements, and nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial tried 2021–2025 that charged Article 114 (14 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 114 (Dueling Before 2019, Endangerment Since): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Offense (hub)
- Is Army Endangerment Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 114, 2021–2025 (another service)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Endangerment Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 114, 2021–2025 (another service)
- Air Force Article 109 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025
- Air Force Article 113 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025
- Air Force Article 115 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Endangerment Conviction?
- 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.