Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2025

Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Air Force, 2025

Based on 29 cases · 2025 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Few Guilty Pleas

Only 23 of the 29 records list a plea. 20 of those were not-guilty or mixed pleas and 3 were guilty pleas. 87% of cases were therefore contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Across all Air Force cases in 2025, the contested share was 41%.

The share was 83% in 2024. In both years, most Article 120 cases were contested.

Long Confinement for the Convicted

All 12 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 2.6 years, compared with 6 months for all Air Force cases. A quarter of the sentences were 12.5 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, the punishment set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in its case. With only 12 convictions, 1 long or short sentence can change the median noticeably.

Compared with all Air Force cases, these convictions were different on each measure. Every conviction included confinement, the median sentence was measured in years, and almost every punitive discharge was dishonorable.

All Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable

For an enlisted member, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. 10 of 11 convicted enlisted members received one. All 10 were dishonorable, and 0 were bad-conduct discharges. That 91% rate compares with 60% across all Air Force cases in 2025 and with 100% for this offense in 2024.

For officers, the equivalent is a dismissal. The records list 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, and that officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.

Who Decided Guilt

The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. A military judge alone decided 16 of 29 cases with the forum listed (55%). Members heard 13: 11 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels.

Members heard 13 of the 20 contested cases (65%). A military judge alone decided the other contested cases. Across the Air Force, most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. For this offense in 2025, the judge-alone cases also included contested cases.

Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. 26 of these 29 cases were general courts-martial and 3 were special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 90%, compared with 51% across the Air Force.

In 2024, every Article 120 case was a general court-martial (100%).

Compared With 2024

There were 34 cases in 2024 and 29 in 2025. The median confinement was 2.5 years in 2024 and 2.6 years in 2025. Convictions with confinement were 100% in both years. In small groups a few cases can change these figures, so the table shows direction, not precision.

Other Charges, Rank, and Locations

Article 120 was the only charge in 17 of 29 cases. Other cases also charged Article 128 (assault) in 6, Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) in 4, Article 134 (general article) and Article 128b (domestic violence) in 3 each, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 1.

The accused were 21 junior enlisted members, 6 NCOs, and 2 officers. This group is more junior than all Air Force cases in 2025.

JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and Nellis AFB, Nevada, each tried 3 cases. USAF Academy, Colorado, and Eielson AFB, Alaska, each tried 2, and Minot AFB, North Dakota, tried 1. These installations account for 38% of the 29 cases, so most cases were tried elsewhere. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds.

Rule Changes and What the Records Do Not Show

Article 120 is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel rather than commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. The records do not give offense dates, so 2025 trials include cases under both the old and new rules. The records cannot show whether the changes affected results.

Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal, so this page gives no acquittal rate. The records also do not show the evidence, never report plea agreements, and do not include allegations handled by administrative separation, nonjudicial punishment, or no action.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: 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.