> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fewer or More? Attempt Charges at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-80-trend-2016-2025/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:32:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:04:01.000Z - Description: Attempt charges under Article 80 were part of 1% of Air Force convictions in both 2016–2018 and 2023–2025. Across 24 cases from 2016 to 2025, the median adjudged confinement was 10 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 80, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 80](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-80-courts-martial/) › Air Force **Short answer:** Attempt charges under Article 80 were part of 1% of Air Force convictions in both 2016–2018 and 2023–2025\. Across 24 cases from 2016 to 2025, the median adjudged confinement was 10 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. A punitive discharge followed 52% of enlisted convictions, compared with 56% across the Air Force. Based on 24 cases · 2016–2025 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## About the Same Share Over Time Article 80 covers attempts to commit other offenses under the code. In 2016–2018, it was part of 7 of 786 Air Force convictions with offenses listed (1%). In 2023–2025, it was part of 6 of 494 (1%), about the same share. The yearly share was never higher than 2%. It was 0% in 2016, 1% in each year from 2017 through 2020, 0% from 2021 through 2023, and 2% in 2024 and 2025\. The count of convictions including Article 80 was highest in 2019, at 4\. The shares use convictions with the offenses listed, so years with more or fewer total cases can still be compared. | Year | Convictions incl. Art. 80 | All convictions with offenses listed | Share | | ---- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ----- | | 2016 | 1 | 205 | 0% | | 2017 | 3 | 294 | 1% | | 2018 | 3 | 287 | 1% | | 2019 | 4 | 271 | 1% | | 2020 | 2 | 186 | 1% | | 2021 | 1 | 202 | 0% | | 2022 | 0 | 208 | 0% | | 2023 | 0 | 152 | 0% | | 2024 | 3 | 173 | 2% | | 2025 | 3 | 169 | 2% | ## Confinement Sentences All 24 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 19 of those sentences included confinement (79%). The median confinement was 10 months, longer than the 4-month median across the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 5 years or longer. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 21% of convictions here, compared with 7% across the Air Force. Sentences of more than one year came in 8 of 24 convictions (33%), compared with 23%. No confinement was imposed in 21% of convictions, compared with 15% across the service. These are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 5 | 21% | 15% | | Under 6 months | 9 | 38% | 48% | | 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 8% | 15% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 12% | 16% | | 5 years or more | 5 | 21% | 7% | ## What Else Was Charged Article 80 was the only charge in 3 of the 24 cases. The most common companion charge was Article 112a (drug offenses), in 7 cases. Article 134 (the general article) appeared in 5, Article 120 (sexual assault) and Article 92 (orders violation) in 4 each, and Article 121 (larceny) in 2. A sentence covers every charge in the case. The long sentences above therefore reflect all the offenses in each case, not the attempt charge alone. ## Sentences by Court Level Of the 24 cases, 14 were general courts-martial and 10 were special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 58%, compared with 51% across all Air Force cases. 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 2 years at general courts-martial and 2 months at special courts-martial. Among cases with a plea listed, 1 of 6 general and 1 of 3 special courts-martial were contested. ## More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges Of 23 convicted enlisted members, 12 received a punitive discharge: 4 bad-conduct and 8 dishonorable. Across all Air Force cases in those years, the share was 56%. Dishonorable discharges were more common than bad-conduct discharges here. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Who Decided Guilt, Rank, and Location A military judge alone decided guilt in 16 cases, enlisted panels in 5, and officer panels in 2\. Members heard 30% of the cases, compared with 39% across the Air Force. The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 67% of the accused, NCOs 29%, and officers 4%. Across the rest of the Air Force, junior enlisted members made up 62%. No installation tried more than 2 of these cases. JBSA - Lackland, Texas, Eielson AFB, Alaska, Fairchild AFB, Washington, and JBSA - Ft Sam Houston, Texas, each had 2\. Kadena AB, Japan, had 1. Air Force convictions that included Article 80, by year: 2016 1, 2017 3, 2018 3, 2019 4, 2020 2, 2021 1, 2022 0, 2023 0, 2024 3, 2025 312016320173201842019220201202102022020233202432025 Air Force convictions that included Article 80, by year ## Law Changes in These Years The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. New sentencing parameters apply to offenses after December 27, 2023\. These rules depend on offense dates, which the records do not give. The records therefore cannot show whether either change affected attempt cases. The 24 cases were tried from November 2016 to June 2025\. They make up 1% of the 2,795 Air Force courts-martial in those years. ## No Acquittal Rate, and Other Gaps Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal. An acquittal rate for a single offense would therefore undercount acquittals, so this page does not report one. The records also do not show the evidence, plea agreements, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. From 2016 to 2019, they rarely list a guilty plea. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 80 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Air Force courts-martial tried 2016–2025 that charged Article 80 (24 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Article 80 (Attempts): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-80-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) (hub) - [Army Article 80 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-80-trend-2021-2025/) (another service) - [Fewer or More? Attempt Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-trend-2017-2025/) (another service) - [Air Force Article 109 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-109-trend-2016-2025/) - [Air Force Article 113 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-113-trend-2021-2025/) - [Air Force Article 115 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-115-trend-2021-2025/) - [Article 80 Sentences in the Air Force: Confinement and Discharges, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-80-sent-2016-2025/) - [Article 80 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.