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# Air Force Courts-Martial in 2020: Year in Review
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2020-year-in-review/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:12:40.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:19:37.000Z
- Description: The Air Force tried 257 courts-martial in 2020, compared with 346 in 2019. Contested cases made up 48%, compared with 33% in the other services in 2020. Of 107 contested cases that reached a verdict, 62 ended in a full acquittal (58%), compared with 35% in the other services.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › 2020

**Short answer:** The Air Force tried 257 courts-martial in 2020, compared with 346 in 2019\. Contested cases made up 48%, compared with 33% in the other services in 2020\. Of 107 contested cases that reached a verdict, 62 ended in a full acquittal (58%), compared with 35% in the other services. Among 188 convictions, the median confinement was 4 months.

Based on 257 cases · 2020 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Pleas Are Recorded From 2020

For 2016 through 2019, Air Force records rarely list a guilty plea, so the contested share could not be measured. The 2020 records list a plea in 226 of 257 cases: 117 guilty pleas and 109 contested cases. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge.

The contested share was 48%, higher than the 33% in the other services in 2020.

## How Contested Cases Ended

Of 107 contested cases that reached a verdict, 62 ended in a full acquittal (58%). The other services in 2020 recorded 35%.

Another 16 contested cases (15%) ended in a partial acquittal. A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports it. That figure may be incomplete.

## Who Decided Guilt

Of 252 cases with the forum listed, a military judge alone decided guilt in 165 (65%). Members decided 87: 52 enlisted panels and 35 officer panels. Members heard most contested cases: 87 of 109 (80%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the overall split mostly follows how many cases were contested.

Full acquittals came in 53 of 86 contested cases decided by members (62%) and 9 of 21 contested cases decided by a military judge alone (43%). The accused usually chooses who decides guilt, so these groups of cases are not alike. The difference is not a direct comparison of military judges and panels.

## Almost Every Conviction Included Confinement

Of 188 convictions, 174 included confinement (93%). Only 14 convictions (7%) had none, compared with 15% in the other services. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months in the other services. A quarter of sentences were 1 year or longer.

Sentences under 6 months made up 60% of Air Force convictions, compared with 36% in the other services. More than one year came in 37 of 188 convictions (20%), compared with 26%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the other services in 2020 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 14          | 7%         | 15%                               |
| Under 6 months                  | 112         | 60%        | 36%                               |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 25          | 13%        | 23%                               |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 28          | 15%        | 20%                               |
| 5 years or more                 | 9           | 5%         | 6%                                |

## Drug Charges Were Still the Most Common

Charge lists are available for 186 of the 257 cases, and a case can be counted under more than one article. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 51%, compared with 30% in the other services in 2020\. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 22%, compared with 13%. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 17%, compared with 36%. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 7%, compared with 16%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2020 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 94    | 51%        | 30%                               |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 40    | 22%        | 13%                               |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 32    | 17%        | 36%                               |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 29    | 16%        | 17%                               |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                        | 15    | 8%         | 7%                                |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 14    | 8%         | 11%                               |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 14    | 8%         | 9%                                |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 13    | 7%         | 16%                               |

## Sentences for the Most Common Charges

The median confinement was 10 months for Article 134 convictions, 5 months for Article 128 convictions, 4 months for Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) convictions, and 3 months for Article 112a convictions. Of 94 cases charging Article 112a, 93 ended in a conviction on that charge. Air Force records list charges mainly for convictions, so these figures are counts and sentences, not conviction rates.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | --------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 94                | 93              | 3 months                                |
| Art. 134 General article                                    | 40                | 40              | 10 months                               |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 32                | 31              | 5 months                                |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation                 | 29                | 29              | 4 months                                |

## Compared With 2019

The number of cases was 346 in 2019 and 257 in 2020\. The median confinement was 4 months in both years. The share of convictions with confinement was 85% and then 93%. The enlisted punitive discharge rate was 57% and then 50%. With groups this size, a few cases can change a percentage, so these changes show direction more than precise size. The records do not show why there were fewer cases.

|                               | 2019     | 2020     |
| ----------------------------- | -------- | -------- |
| Cases                         | 346      | 257      |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | —        | 48%      |
| Convictions with confinement  | 85%      | 93%      |
| Median confinement            | 4 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 57%      | 50%      |
| General courts-martial        | 50%      | 51%      |

## Court Level and Punitive Discharges

General courts-martial tried 130 cases, and special courts-martial tried 127\. The general court-martial share was 51%, compared with 48% in the other services. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1 year, and 63% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 2 months, and 31% were contested.

Of 177 convicted enlisted members, 88 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (50%), compared with 62% in the other services. Of those 88, 33 were dishonorable. Of 11 convicted officers or warrant officers, 6 were dismissed.

## Rank, Installations, and Limits of the Records

The accused included 169 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 67 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 21 officers or warrant officers. That mix is more junior than the other services in 2020, where 62% were junior enlisted.

Ramstein AB, Germany, tried 13 cases. Nellis AFB, Nevada, and JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, tried 11 each. Dyess AFB, Texas, tried 10, and Shaw AFB, South Carolina, tried 9\. Together they account for 21% of the year's cases.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and do not describe the evidence. Air Force records rarely list charges in a full acquittal and never report plea agreements. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every Air Force court-martial in the data with a trial date in 2020 (257 cases), compared with the other services in 2020 and with 2019.

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

- [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2019-year-in-review/) (previous / next)
- [The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2021-year-in-review/) (previous / next)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial in 2017: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2017-year-in-review/)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial in 2018: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2018-year-in-review/)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial in 2022: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2022-year-in-review/)
- [How 2023 Went at Air Force Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2023-year-in-review/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [Air Force Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2019-year-in-review/)Next: [The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2021-year-in-review/) →

**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.