Air Force Article 134 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Air Force

Based on 500 cases · 2016–2025 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Sentences Were Longer Than the Air Force Median

Confinement was part of 91% of the 492 convictions. The median confinement was 1.2 years, compared with 4 months across all Air Force cases. A quarter of the sentences were 3 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence.

Sentences of more than one year came in 229 of 492 convictions (47%), compared with 23% across the Air Force. Sentences under 6 months made up 26% of convictions here, compared with 48% across the Air Force.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case. In most of these cases, Article 134 was not the only charge.

What Else Was Charged With the General Article?

Article 134 is a general article. It covers a list of specific offenses, plus conduct that harms good order and discipline or discredits the service. In 153 of the 500 cases, it was the only article charged.

The other cases included other charges. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 84 cases, orders violations under Article 92 in 82, assault under Article 128 in 74, child sexual abuse under Article 120b in 65, and sexual assault under Article 120 in 37. The sentence figures above include those companion charges.

Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial

Of the 500 cases, 366 were general courts-martial and 134 were special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 73%, compared with 51% in the rest of the Air Force.

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.

The median confinement was 1.7 years at general courts-martial and 3 months at special courts-martial. Contested cases made up 29% of general courts-martial and 20% of special courts-martial.

Discharges and Dismissals

Of 450 convicted enlisted members, 342 received a punitive discharge: 194 dishonorable and 148 bad-conduct. Across the Air Force, the punitive discharge share was 56%.

Officers receive a dismissal instead of a punitive discharge. The records include 42 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 34 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

About the Same Share Across the Years

In 2016–2018, Article 134 was part of 191 of 786 Air Force convictions with listed offenses (24%). In 2023–2025, it was part of 114 of 494 (23%), about the same share.

By year, the share was lowest in 2021 and 2023, at 19%, and highest in 2018, at 27%. It was 25% in both 2024 and 2025. The yearly count of cases was highest in 2018, at 77, and was 48 in 2025. The shares use convictions with the offenses listed, so years with more or fewer total cases can still be compared.

Pleas and Who Decided Guilt

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Only 225 of the 500 records list the plea, because Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea. Among those 225, 163 were guilty pleas and 62 were contested. The contested share was 28%, compared with 48% in the rest of the Air Force.

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members heard 23% of cases with the forum listed: 63 officer panels and 49 enlisted panels. A military judge alone decided 383 cases. Among contested cases, members heard 40 of 62 (65%).

Why There Is No Acquittal Rate Here

Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal. Counting acquittals for one article would therefore undercount them, so this page does not report that rate. Air Force posts that cover all offenses at an installation do report acquittals.

Rank and Installations

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 59% of the accused, about the same as the 62% across all Air Force cases. NCOs made up 33% and officers 8%.

Kadena AB, Japan, tried the most cases (18). Next were Nellis AFB, Nevada (17), Minot AFB, North Dakota (15), JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey (14), and JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii (14). Together they account for 16% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not mean a base has a problem with this offense.

Law Changes and Limits of the Data

The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. It set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months, and introduced written plea agreements. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new parameters. The records give trial dates only, so trials from 2024 on include both old-rule and new-rule cases.

The records do not include the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations. Air Force records never report plea agreements.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 134 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

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.