Air Force Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review
The Air Force tried 346 courts-martial in 2019. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months in the other services in 2019, but 8% of convictions included 5 years or more, compared with 5%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Air Force tried 346 courts-martial in 2019. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months in the other services in 2019, but 8% of convictions included 5 years or more, compared with 5%. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 51% of cases with charges listed, compared with 30%, and 74 cases (21%) ended in a full acquittal, compared with 13%.
Mostly Short Sentences, but More Very Long Ones
Confinement was part of 85% of the 272 convictions. The median confinement was 4 months, and a quarter of sentences were 1 year or longer. Sentences under 6 months made up 50% of convictions, compared with 35% in the other services.
Sentences of 5 years or more made up 8% of Air Force convictions, compared with 5% in the other services. Sentences between 6 months and 5 years were less common. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 15% (compared with 23%), and sentences of 1 to 5 years made up 12% (compared with 19%). In all, 55 of 272 convictions (20%) included more than one year, compared with 24%.
These are adjudged sentences, as imposed at trial 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 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 40 | 15% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 137 | 50% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 40 | 15% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 32 | 12% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 23 | 8% | 5% |
What Was Charged
Charge lists are available for 271 of the 346 cases. A case is counted under each article it charged. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 139 cases (51%), compared with 30% in the other services in 2019. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 23%, compared with 12%.
Article 128 (assault) appeared in 15% of Air Force cases, compared with 34% in the other services. Article 80 (attempt) appeared in 2%, compared with 10%. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 8%, compared with 14%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 139 | 51% | 30% |
| Art. 134 General article | 62 | 23% | 12% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 40 | 15% | 34% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 38 | 14% | 17% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 21 | 8% | 7% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 21 | 8% | 14% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 20 | 7% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 16 | 6% | 11% |
Sentences for the Most Common Charges
Among the most common charges, Article 134 convictions had the longest median confinement: 1.4 years across 61 convictions. Article 128 convictions had a median of 6 months, Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) 4 months, and Article 112a 3 months.
Air Force records list charges mainly for convictions, so these are conviction counts and sentences, not conviction rates. A median covers the whole 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 | 139 | 139 | 3 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 62 | 61 | 1.4 years |
| Art. 128 Assault | 40 | 39 | 6 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 38 | 36 | 4 months |
Full Acquittals Measured Against All Cases
Of 346 cases, 74 ended in a full acquittal (21%). The other services in 2019 recorded 13%.
Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so this rate uses all cases as its base, not only contested cases. Air Force records also rarely list charges when a case ends in a full acquittal.
Few Changes From 2018
The number of cases was 368 in 2018 and 346 in 2019. The median confinement was 4 months in both years. The enlisted punitive discharge rate was 58% and then 57%. The general court-martial share was 50% in both years. The share of convictions with confinement was 82% and then 85%. A few cases can change these figures, so they show direction, not precise change.
| 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 368 | 346 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 82% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 58% | 57% |
| General courts-martial | 50% | 50% |
Court Levels
General courts-martial tried 172 cases, and special courts-martial tried 174. The general court-martial share was 50%, compared with 43% in the other services in 2019. At general courts-martial, 87% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.4 years. At special courts-martial, 84% did, with a median of 3 months. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge.
Punitive Discharges
Of 256 convicted enlisted members, 145 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (57%). That is slightly lower than the 60% in the other services. Of those 145, 48 were dishonorable. Of 16 convicted officers or warrant officers, 11 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Who Decided Guilt, and Rank
A military judge alone decided guilt in 196 cases, an enlisted panel in 59, and an officer panel in 85. Members heard 42% of the cases. The accused usually chooses between a military judge and members.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 68% of the accused, NCOs 26%, and officers 7%. In the other services in 2019, junior enlisted members made up 57%. The Air Force accused were more junior that year.
Installations and Limits
Beale AFB, California, tried 18 cases, and Nellis AFB, Nevada, tried 14. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, and Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, tried 13 each. Dyess AFB, Texas, tried 11. Together they account for 20% of the year's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
The records cover only cases that reached a courtroom. They do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. They give no offense dates, do not describe the evidence, and never report plea agreements.
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 2019 (346 cases), compared with the other services in 2019 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
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2018: Year in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2020: Year in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2017: 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.