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# The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2021
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2021-year-in-review/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:12:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:19:46.000Z
- Description: The Air Force records hold 267 courts-martial for 2021. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 35% of cases, compared with 18% in the other services in 2021. Of 137 contested cases that reached a verdict, 65 ended in a full acquittal (47%), compared with 31% 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/) › 2021

**Short answer:** The Air Force records hold 267 courts-martial for 2021\. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 35% of cases, compared with 18% in the other services in 2021\. Of 137 contested cases that reached a verdict, 65 ended in a full acquittal (47%), compared with 31% in the other services.

Based on 267 cases · 2021 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Many Contested Cases Ended in Full Acquittal

Of 137 contested cases that reached a verdict, 65 ended in a full acquittal (47%). In the other services in 2021, the rate was 31%.

Another 21 contested cases (15%) ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another. Air Force results record a single verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion describes it. The partial acquittal figure may be too low.

## More Cases Were Contested

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, with either a full not-guilty plea or a mixed plea. In 2021, 137 Air Force cases were contested and 130 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 51%. In the other services in 2021, it was 34%.

Guilty pleas differed by charge. Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 83% of the time (59 of 71), the highest among the most common charges. Cases charging Article 128 ended in a guilty plea 58% of the time (32 of 55). The records do not show why any accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.

## More Drug Charges, Fewer Sexual Assault Charges

Charge lists are available for 202 of the 267 cases. A case charging several articles is counted under each one. Article 112a (drug) was the most common, at 35%. Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving) was also more common than in the other services: 6% compared with 2%.

Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 11% of Air Force cases, compared with 25% in the other services in 2021\. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 27%, compared with 35%. The full list of the most common articles is below.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2021 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 71    | 35%        | 18%                               |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 55    | 27%        | 35%                               |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 39    | 19%        | 23%                               |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 36    | 18%        | 18%                               |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 22    | 11%        | 25%                               |
| [Art. 113](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-113/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle  | 13    | 6%         | 2%                                |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 10    | 5%         | 8%                                |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                             | 10    | 5%         | 4%                                |

## Who Decided Guilt

A military judge alone decided guilt in 165 cases, an enlisted panel in 65, and an officer panel in 37\. Members heard 38% of the year's cases. Among contested cases, members heard 102 of 137 (74%).

In most cases, the accused chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The split therefore mostly follows how many cases were contested. Among contested cases, members returned a full acquittal 50% of the time and military judges 40% of the time. The accused chose who would decide, so the groups of cases are not alike. The rates are not a direct comparison.

## Most Sentences Were Short

Of 202 convictions, 172 included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, shorter than the 6 months in the other services in 2021\. A quarter of sentences were 1.2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

Sentences longer than one year came about as often as in the other services: 47 of 202 convictions (23%), compared with 26%. The largest group was sentences under 6 months, with 95 convictions (47%), compared with 35% in the other services in 2021.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the other services in 2021 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 30          | 15%        | 17%                               |
| Under 6 months                  | 95          | 47%        | 35%                               |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 30          | 15%        | 21%                               |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 35          | 17%        | 19%                               |
| 5 years or more                 | 12          | 6%         | 7%                                |

## General and Special Courts-Martial

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. Since 2019, a special court-martial tried by a military judge alone can be limited to six months with no punitive discharge.

In 2021, the Air Force held 142 general courts-martial, with a median confinement of 1.2 years and 66% contested. It held 125 special courts-martial, with a median of 2 months and 34% contested. The general court-martial share was 53%, lower than the 62% in the other services in 2021.

## Sentences for the Most Common Charges

Air Force charge lists come mainly from convictions. The table below therefore shows conviction counts and median confinement, not conviction rates. Among the 71 Article 112a convictions, the median confinement was 2 months. Article 128 (assault) convictions had a median of 8 months, and Article 134 convictions a median of 1.2 years.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | --------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 71                | 71              | 2 months                                |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 55                | 55              | 8 months                                |
| Art. 134 General article                                    | 39                | 39              | 1.2 years                               |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation                 | 36                | 36              | 4 months                                |

## Discharges, Rank, and Installations

Of 194 enlisted members convicted, 109 received a punitive discharge: 75 bad-conduct and 34 dishonorable. The share in the other services in 2021 was 67%. Of 8 convicted officers or warrant officers, 3 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.

By rank, the accused included 174 junior enlisted members, 81 NCOs, and 12 officers. That mix is similar to the other services in 2021.

Ramstein AB, Germany (14), Dyess AFB, Texas (10), JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey (9), Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (9), and Holloman AFB, New Mexico (8), tried the most cases. Together they account for 19% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every type.

## Compared With 2020

The number of cases was 257 in 2020 and 267 in 2021\. The contested share was 48% and then 51%. Full acquittals were 62 of 107 contested cases with a verdict in 2020 and 65 of 137 in 2021\. The median confinement was 4 months in both years. The enlisted punitive discharge rate was 50% and then 56%. With groups this size, a few cases can change a percentage, so the changes show direction more than precise size.

The records list trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, or the evidence. Air Force records never report plea agreements and rarely list charges in a full acquittal.

|                                     | 2020      | 2021      |
| ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                               | 257       | 267       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 48%       | 51%       |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 62 of 107 | 65 of 137 |
| Convictions with confinement        | 93%       | 85%       |
| Median confinement                  | 4 months  | 4 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 50%       | 56%       |
| General courts-martial              | 51%       | 53%       |

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 2021 (267 cases), compared with the other services in 2021 and with 2020.

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 2020: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2020-year-in-review/) (previous / next)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial in 2022: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2022-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 2019: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2019-year-in-review/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

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**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.