> ## 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. # Air Force AWOL Cases Against NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Outcomes and Sentences - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-86-ncos/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:13:39.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:13:39.000Z - Description: The Air Force records list 18 courts-martial of NCOs (E-5 to E-9) charged with AWOL under Article 86, tried between June 2016 and August 2025. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 86, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 86](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-86-courts-martial/) › NCOs (E-5 to E-9) **Short answer:** The Air Force records list 18 courts-martial of NCOs (E-5 to E-9) charged with AWOL under Article 86, tried between June 2016 and August 2025\. 5 of the 18 convicted NCOs received a punitive discharge, all of them bad-conduct discharges, while the share in all Air Force Article 86 cases was 47%. The median confinement was 3 months, the same as for the offense overall. Based on 18 cases · 2016–2025 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Fewer Punitive Discharges 5 of the 18 convicted NCOs received a punitive discharge. All 5 were bad-conduct discharges, and none was dishonorable. In all Air Force Article 86 cases, 47% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not cover administrative separations. ## Drug Charges Appeared in Most Cases Drug offenses under Article 112a were charged in 10 of the 18 cases. Orders violations under Article 92 appeared in 6, and the general article, Article 134, in 2. Larceny under Article 121 and Article 124 (maiming before 2019; frauds against the United States since) each appeared in 1 case. Only 3 of the 18 cases charged Article 86 by itself. In all Air Force Article 86 cases, 9 of 100 did. ## Mostly Special Courts-Martial Special courts-martial heard 15 cases and general courts-martial heard 3\. The general share of 17% is close to the 20% in all Air Force Article 86 cases. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. ## Confinement Terms All 18 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 15 sentences included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 3 months, the same as in all Air Force Article 86 cases. A quarter of the confinement terms were 6 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case, including any companion charges. ## Officer Panels Only Members heard 24% of the cases with the forum listed. All 4 were officer panels, and no enlisted panel heard any case. A military judge alone decided the other 13. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. ## Who Was Charged and When All accused were NCOs. In all Air Force Article 86 cases, junior enlisted members made up 78% of the accused. The yearly counts were 1 in 2016, 1 in 2017, 2 in 2018, 3 in 2019, 3 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 1 in 2023, 3 in 2024, and 1 in 2025. ## Rules and Limits The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, and created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months of confinement with no punitive discharge. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel rather than commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. No plea counts appear for these cases. Air Force records never report plea agreements and rarely list the charges in a full acquittal. The evidence, plea terms, and nonjudicial punishment are not part of the records. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 86 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?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 NCOs (E-5 to E-9) under Article 86 (18 cases), compared with every Air Force Article 86 case. 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 86 (AWOL): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-86-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub) - [What Happens to Army Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Facing AWOL Charges?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-86-junior-enlisted/) - [NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Charged Under Article 86 in the Army](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-86-ncos/) - [What Happens to Air Force Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Facing AWOL Charges?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-86-junior-enlisted/) - [Army Article 86 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-86-trend-2021-2025/) - [Air Force Article 86 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-86-trend-2016-2025/) - [Article 86 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?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.