How 2023 Went at Air Force Courts-Martial
In 2023, the Air Force records show 225 courts-martial. Of 120 contested cases that reached a verdict, 67 ended in a full acquittal (56%), compared with 33% in the other services in 2023. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 28% of cases, compared with 10% in the other services.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: In 2023, the Air Force records show 225 courts-martial. Of 120 contested cases that reached a verdict, 67 ended in a full acquittal (56%), compared with 33% in the other services in 2023. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 28% of cases, compared with 10% in the other services.
Most Contested Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal
Of 120 contested Air Force cases with a verdict in 2023, 67 ended in a full acquittal, a rate of 56%. Across the other services in 2023, the rate was 33%.
Another 22 contested cases (18%) ended in a partial acquittal. In a partial acquittal, the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Air Force results give a single verdict per case, so partial acquittals appear only when an appeals opinion reports them. The 18% figure may be too low.
Changes From 2022 to 2023
The number of cases was 266 in 2022 and 225 in 2023. The contested share was 47% and then 53%. Full acquittals were 56 of 124 contested cases with a verdict in 2022 and 67 of 120 in 2023. The median confinement was 6 months and then 5 months. The enlisted punitive discharge rate was 59% and then 58%.
In groups of this size, a few cases can change a percentage. The table shows direction, not precise size.
| 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 266 | 225 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 47% | 53% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 56 of 124 | 67 of 120 |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 91% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 59% | 58% |
| General courts-martial | 57% | 59% |
More Accused Contested Than Pleaded Guilty
In all, 120 accused contested at least one charge and 105 pleaded guilty. The contested share was 53%. In the other services in 2023, 31% of cases were contested. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea.
Guilty pleas differed by charge. Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 88% of the time (38 of 43), the highest among the most common charges. Cases charging Article 120 ended in a guilty plea 21% of the time (5 of 24). The records do not give reasons for these choices.
Members Decided Many Cases
A military judge alone decided 135 cases. Enlisted panels decided 65 and officer panels 25. Members heard 40% of the year's cases. In contested cases, members heard 90 of 120 (75%).
Contested cases decided by members ended in a full acquittal 60% of the time (54 of 90). Contested cases decided by a military judge alone ended in a full acquittal 43% of the time (13 of 30). The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The groups of cases differ in ways the records cannot show.
What Was Charged
These shares use the 152 cases whose records list charges, and a case can appear under several articles. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 28% of cases, compared with 10% in the other services in 2023. Article 115 (communicating threats) appeared in 8%, compared with 3%.
Article 128 (assault) was charged in 12% of Air Force cases, compared with 26% in the other services. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 19%, compared with 23%. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 9% of cases, compared with 4%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 43 | 28% | 10% |
| Art. 134 General article | 29 | 19% | 23% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 27 | 18% | 14% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 24 | 16% | 17% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 22 | 14% | 17% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 18 | 12% | 26% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 14 | 9% | 4% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 12 | 8% | 3% |
Sentences
Of 158 convictions, 143 included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, shorter than the 6 months in the other services in 2023. A quarter of sentences were 1.2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.
Sentences over one year came about as often as in the other services: 37 of 158 convictions (23%), compared with 26%. Only 15 convictions (9%) had no confinement, compared with 18% in the other services. Only 4 convictions (3%) included 5 years or more.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the other services in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 15 | 9% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 77 | 49% | 37% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 29 | 18% | 19% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 33 | 21% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 4 | 3% | 6% |
General and Special Courts-Martial
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. In 2023, the Air Force held 133 general courts-martial. At those, 98% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1 year. At its 92 special courts-martial, 83% did, with a median of 2 months.
The general court-martial share was 59%, compared with 63% in the other services in 2023. Among the most common charges, the median confinement was 2 years for Article 134 convictions, 1.2 years for Article 120 convictions, 2 months for Article 112a convictions, and 47 days for Article 92 convictions. Air Force charge lists come mostly from convictions, so the table gives counts, not conviction rates.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 43 | 43 | 2 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 29 | 29 | 2 years |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 27 | 24 | 47 days |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 24 | 21 | 1.2 years |
Discharges, Rank, and Installations
A punitive discharge followed 58% of enlisted convictions: 49 bad-conduct and 38 dishonorable. In the other services in 2023, the share was 69%. Of 8 convicted officers or warrant officers, 5 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 62% of the accused, NCOs 29%, and officers 9%. In the other services, junior enlisted members made up 60%.
JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey (17), Minot AFB, North Dakota (10), Osan AB, South Korea (9), Scott AFB, Illinois (8), and Offutt AFB, Nebraska (7), had the most cases. Together they account for 23% of the 225 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Records Do Not Show
Only cases that reached a court-martial are included. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases that ended with no action do not appear. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Air Force records never report plea agreements and rarely list charges in a full acquittal.
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 2023 (225 cases), compared with the other services in 2023 and with 2022.
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 2022: Year in Review (previous / next)
- The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2024 (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2017: Year in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2018: Year in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2020: Year in Review
- 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.