Air Force Courts-Martial in 2018: Year in Review
In 2018, the Air Force tried 368 courts-martial, and 80 of them (22%) ended in a full acquittal, compared with 9% in the other services in 2018. Among 288 convictions, the median confinement was 4 months, compared with 7 months in the other services.
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Short answer: In 2018, the Air Force tried 368 courts-martial, and 80 of them (22%) ended in a full acquittal, compared with 9% in the other services in 2018. Among 288 convictions, the median confinement was 4 months, compared with 7 months in the other services. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 47% of cases with charges listed, compared with 26%.
More Full Acquittals Than the Other Services
Of 368 cases, 80 ended in a full acquittal, a rate of 22%. The other services in 2018 recorded 9%. This was the largest difference between the Air Force and the other services that year.
The rate uses all cases as the base. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty, so there is no reliable count of contested cases to use instead. Air Force records also rarely list the charges in a full acquittal, so the acquitted cases cannot be sorted by offense.
An Even Split Between Court Levels
General courts-martial and special courts-martial each heard 184 cases. The general court-martial share was 50%, higher than the 45% in the other services in 2018. In the Air Force the year before, it was 45%.
The median confinement was 1.5 years at general courts-martial and 2 months at special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
Most Sentences Were Under 6 Months
Of 288 convictions, 235 included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, and a quarter of sentences were 1.1 years or longer. There were 2 life sentences.
Sentences under 6 months made up 48% of Air Force convictions, compared with 32% in the other services. Each longer group was smaller in the Air Force. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 13% (compared with 23%). Sentences of 1 to 5 years made up 12% (compared with 20%). Sentences of 5 years or more made up 8% (compared with 9%). In all, 59 of 288 convictions (20%) included more than one year, compared with 30%.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the other services in 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 53 | 18% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 139 | 48% | 32% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 37 | 13% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 36 | 12% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 23 | 8% | 9% |
What Was Charged
The charge shares are based on the 287 cases whose records list charges. A case can be counted under several articles. Article 112a (drug) was the most common, in 134 cases (47%), compared with 26% in the other services. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 27%, compared with 15%.
Article 128 (assault) appeared in 10% of Air Force cases, compared with 34% in the other services. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 5%, compared with 11%. Article 120 (sexual assault) and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) each appeared in 34 cases, or 12%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 134 | 47% | 26% |
| Art. 134 General article | 77 | 27% | 15% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 42 | 15% | 13% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 34 | 12% | 16% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 34 | 12% | 10% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 29 | 10% | 34% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 20 | 7% | 11% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 14 | 5% | 11% |
Article 120 Convictions Had the Longest Median
Among the most common charges, Article 120 convictions had the longest median confinement: 3.1 years across 33 convictions. Article 134 convictions had a median of 10 months. Article 112a and Article 92 convictions each had a median of 3 months.
Air Force records list charges mainly for convictions, so the table gives conviction counts and sentences, not conviction rates. Each median covers the full sentence in cases with that finding.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 134 | 134 | 3 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 77 | 77 | 10 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 42 | 41 | 3 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 34 | 33 | 3.1 years |
Changes From 2017
The number of cases was 374 in 2017 and 368 in 2018. The median confinement was 4 months in both years. The enlisted punitive discharge rate was 51% in 2017 and 58% in 2018. The share of convictions with confinement was 79% and then 82%. A few cases can change these figures, so the changes show direction more than precise size.
| 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 374 | 368 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 79% | 82% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 51% | 58% |
| General courts-martial | 45% | 50% |
Discharges, Who Decided Guilt, and Rank
Of 269 convicted enlisted members, 157 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (58%). That is lower than the 66% in the other services. Of those 157, 65 were dishonorable. Of 19 convicted officers or warrant officers, 14 were dismissed.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 189 of 362 cases with the forum listed (52%). Members heard 173: 54 enlisted panels and 119 officer panels.
Junior enlisted members made up 63% of the accused, NCOs 30%, and officers 7%. In the other services, junior enlisted members made up 61%.
Installations
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, tried 15 cases, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 14, and JBSA - Lackland, Texas, 13. Moody AFB, Georgia, and Nellis AFB, Nevada, tried 11 each. Together they account for only 17% of the year's cases.
Rules and Records
These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. Its fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements did not apply. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and never report plea agreements. They do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every Air Force court-martial in the data with a trial date in 2018 (368 cases), compared with the other services in 2018 and with 2017.
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
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2017: Year in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2020: Year in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2022: Year in Review
- How 2023 Went at Air Force Courts-Martial
- Search every case in 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.