NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Charged Under Article 120b in the Air Force
The Air Force tried 67 NCOs (E-5 to E-9) in Article 120b child sexual abuse courts-martial from 2016–2025. The median confinement for convicted NCOs was 5 years, compared with 3 years for all Air Force Article 120b cases.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 120b › NCOs (E-5 to E-9)
Short answer: The Air Force tried 67 NCOs (E-5 to E-9) in Article 120b child sexual abuse courts-martial from 2016–2025. The median confinement for convicted NCOs was 5 years, compared with 3 years for all Air Force Article 120b cases. 39% of recorded pleas were contested, close to the 41% for the offense overall.
Sentences Were Longer Than the Offense Overall
The records show 65 convictions, and 62 of those sentences included confinement. The median confinement was 5 years, longer than the 3 years for all Air Force Article 120b cases. A quarter of terms were 13 years or longer.
31 convictions (48%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, compared with 38% for the offense as a whole. 53 of 65 convictions (82%) were sentenced to more than one year, more often than the 77% for all Article 120b cases. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force Article 120b cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 5% | 4% |
| Under 6 months | 3 | 5% | 3% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 9% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 22 | 34% | 39% |
| 5 years or more | 31 | 48% | 38% |
Few Short Sentences
3 convictions (5%) had no confinement, close to the 4% for the offense overall. 3 (5%) were sentenced to under 6 months. 6 convictions (9%) were sentenced to 6 months to 1 year, compared with 15% for all Air Force Article 120b cases.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. A special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Most Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable
62 of the 65 convicted NCOs received a punitive discharge: 51 dishonorable and 11 bad-conduct. Across all Air Force Article 120b cases, the punitive discharge share was 97%.
A punitive discharge is part of the court-martial sentence. The 3 NCOs whose sentences did not include one could still face an administrative separation afterward. These records do not track administrative separations. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge.
Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases
Only 28 of the 67 records list a plea. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea. Of those 28, 17 NCOs pleaded guilty and 11 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea.
The contested share was 39%, close to the 41% for all Air Force Article 120b cases.
Who Decided Guilt
Members heard 36% of the cases with the forum listed: 14 enlisted panels and 10 officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 42. The accused usually makes that choice. An enlisted accused can ask for enlisted members on the panel, and that happened in 14 of these cases.
Members heard 8 of the 11 contested cases (73%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the split between judge and members follows the number of contested cases.
Sexual Assault Was Often Charged Too
Article 120b was the only charge in 33 of the 67 cases. Across all Air Force Article 120b cases, 93 of 183 charged it alone.
The general article, Article 134, was the most common other charge, in 20 cases. Article 120, sexual assault, was charged in 13. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 5, Article 125 (sodomy before 2019; kidnapping since) in 4, and Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019) in 2. A sentence covers every charge, so these offenses are part of the figures above.
Cases by Year
The 67 cases were tried from April 2016 to December 2025. There were 8 cases in 2016, 9 in 2017, and 12 in 2018, the highest yearly count. There were 6 in 2019, 5 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 6 in 2022, and 2 in 2023. There were 7 in 2024 and 8 in 2025.
Yearly totals this small can change by a few trials. The year-to-year pattern therefore says little by itself.
Installations
Scott AFB, Illinois, tried 6 of these cases, and Ramstein AB, Germany, tried 5. JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, and Hurlburt Field, Florida, each tried 3. Together they account for 30% of the cases. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem with this offense.
Rule Changes and What the Records Do Not Show
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. Article 120b became a covered offense on December 28, 2023, and special trial counsel now decide whether to prosecute it. Military judges also set the sentence when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records list trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied.
This page gives no acquittal rate, because Air Force records rarely list the charges in a full acquittal. 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 120b 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 NCOs (E-5 to E-9) under Article 120b (67 cases), compared with every Air Force Article 120b 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 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- Army Child Sexual Abuse Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Charged Under Article 120b in the Army
- Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025
- How Has Article 120b Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2016?
- Article 120b explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: 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.