Assault at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers
In 2019, 40 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 128 (assault). Of convicted enlisted members, 70% received a punitive discharge, higher than the 55% in 2018 and the 57% for all Air Force cases.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 128 › Air Force, 2019
Short answer: In 2019, 40 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 128 (assault). Of convicted enlisted members, 70% received a punitive discharge, higher than the 55% in 2018 and the 57% for all Air Force cases. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 4 months service-wide, and 65% of cases were tried at a general court-martial.
More Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members, imposed as part of the court-martial sentence. In 2019 it followed 70% of enlisted assault convictions: 17 bad-conduct and 9 dishonorable discharges. In 2018 the rate was 55%. Across all Air Force cases in 2019 it was 57%.
For officers, the equivalent is dismissal. The data lists 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
More Cases, Longer Median Term
The number of cases increased from 29 in 2018 to 40 in 2019. The median confinement went from 5 months to 6 months. The share of convictions with confinement went from 83% to 90%, and the general court-martial share from 55% to 65%. In groups this size, a few cases can change these figures, so they show direction rather than precise measurements.
| 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 29 | 40 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 83% | 90% |
| Median confinement | 5 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 55% | 70% |
| General courts-martial | 55% | 65% |
Sentences by Band
Of 40 convictions, 36 included confinement. The median term was 6 months, compared with 4 months for all Air Force cases. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they include every charge in the case.
Terms longer than one year were imposed in 11 of 40 convictions (28%), compared with 20% service-wide. Terms of 5 years or more made up 6 convictions (15%), compared with 8%. Terms of 6 months to 1 year made up 9 (22%), compared with 15%. Short sentences were less common: 16 convictions (40%) were under 6 months, compared with 50%, and 4 (10%) included no confinement, compared with 15%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 10% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 16 | 40% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 22% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 12% | 12% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 15% | 8% |
General Versus Special 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. Of these 40 cases, 26 were general courts-martial and 14 were special courts-martial.
The median confinement was 1 year at the 26 general courts-martial and 4 months at the 14 special courts-martial. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year, so every sentence in the top 2 bands came from a general court-martial.
Other Charges in Assault Cases
Article 128 was the only charge in 15 of 40 cases. The other cases included Article 134 (general article) in 12, Article 92 (orders violation) in 11, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 5, Article 112a (drug) in 4, and Article 109 (property damage) in 2.
When assault is charged with a sexual assault, the assault charge often describes part of the same incident, and the sentence covers the whole case. The records do not show what part of a sentence was for the assault.
Judge, Panel, and Rank
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. In 2019, a military judge alone decided 28 assault cases. Members heard 28% of cases with the forum listed: 7 officer panels and 4 enlisted panels. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the contested share is not available.
By rank, the accused were 29 junior enlisted members, 8 NCOs, and 3 officers. That group is more junior than all Air Force cases in 2019.
Assault Compared With All Air Force Cases
Compared with all Air Force cases in 2019, assault cases had more severe sentences on 3 measures. The median term was longer: 6 months compared with 4 months. Terms above one year were more common: 28% compared with 20%. Punitive discharges were more common: 70% compared with 57%.
The records show these differences but not their cause. The other charges, the facts of each case, and plea terms are all outside what the data can describe.
Where the Cases Were Tried
Cannon AFB, New Mexico tried 3 of these cases. McConnell AFB, Kansas; Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Maxwell AFB, Alabama; and RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom tried 2 each. Together they account for 28% of the 40 cases. The other cases were tried at many other installations. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Limits of the Records
Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in full acquittal, so this page reports no acquittal rate for assault. The records give trial dates rather than offense dates and never report plea agreements. They say nothing about the evidence or any injuries. Assaults handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation do not appear, so these 40 cases are only the cases that reached a court-martial.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in 2019 that charged Article 128 (40 cases), compared with all Air Force cases that year and with 2018.
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 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Air Force Article 128 Cases in 2018 (previous / next)
- Air Force Article 128 Cases in 2020 (previous / next)
- Fewer or More? Assault Charges at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 (the full trend)
- Air Force Article 128 Cases in 2021
- Air Force Article 128 Cases in 2025
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Assault Conviction?
- Article 128 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: 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.