> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What the Air Force Tried in April 2021 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2021/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:53:34.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:19:49.000Z - Description: In April 2021, the Air Force tried 29 courts-martial, and 18 of them were contested. Of those 18, 5 ended in a full acquittal (28%), lower than the 47% for the Air Force across 2021. A punitive discharge followed 43% of enlisted convictions, compared with 56% for the year. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › April 2021 **Short answer:** In April 2021, the Air Force tried 29 courts-martial, and 18 of them were contested. Of those 18, 5 ended in a full acquittal (28%), lower than the 47% for the Air Force across 2021\. A punitive discharge followed 43% of enlisted convictions, compared with 56% for the year. Based on 29 cases · April 2021 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## More Contested Cases, Fewer Full Acquittals A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. In April 2021, 18 accused contested their cases and 11 pleaded guilty. The contested share was 62%, compared with 51% for the Air Force in 2021. Full acquittals were less common than for the year. Only 5 of the 18 contested cases ended in a full acquittal, a rate of 28%, compared with 47% for the year. Another 2 ended in a partial acquittal. Air Force results give a single verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports one. ## Members Heard Most Contested Cases The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. A military judge alone decided 15 of the 29 cases (52%). Members decided 14: 7 enlisted panels and 7 officer panels. Among contested cases, members heard 14 of 18 (78%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the overall split mostly follows the number of contested cases. An enlisted accused who chooses members can ask for enlisted members to sit on the panel. This month had the same number of enlisted panels and officer panels. ## What Was Charged Of the 29 records, 24 list charges, and each article is counted once per case. Article 112a (drug) was the most common, with 10 cases. That is a 42% share, compared with 35% for the year. Article 134 (the general article) appeared in 5. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 4 cases (17%), lower than the 27% for the year. Article 128b (domestic violence, numbered since 2019) appeared in 3 (12%), compared with 5%. Article 121a (fraudulent use of credit or debit cards) and Article 114 (endangerment offenses) each appeared in 2 cases (8%), compared with 1% and 2% for the year. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) each appeared in 3 cases (12%). For Article 92, that is lower than the 18% for the year. For Article 120, it is about the same as the 11% for the year. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2021 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 10 | 42% | 35% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 5 | 21% | 19% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 4 | 17% | 27% | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 3 | 12% | 5% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 12% | 18% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 12% | 11% | | Art. 121a Fraudulent use of credit cards, debit cards | 2 | 8% | 1% | | Art. 114 Endangerment offenses | 2 | 8% | 2% | ## Confinement: Many Short Sentences and Some Long Ones There were 24 convictions, and 17 included confinement. The median confinement was 3 months, about the same as the 4 months for the Air Force in 2021\. A quarter of the sentences were 2 years or longer. All figures are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. No conviction had a sentence between 6 months and 1 year. For the year, 15% of convictions were in that range. No confinement was imposed in 7 convictions (29%), compared with 15%. More than one year came in 6 of 24 convictions (25%), about the same as the 23% for the year. Of those 6, 5 convictions (21%) were between 1 year and 5 years, compared with 17% for the year, and 1 (4%) was 5 years or more, compared with 6%. Sentences under 6 months made up 46% of convictions, about the same as the 47% for the year. Sentence figures cover every charge in a case, not only the most serious one. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2021 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | No confinement | 7 | 29% | 15% | | Under 6 months | 11 | 46% | 47% | | 6 months to 1 year | 0 | 0% | 15% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 21% | 17% | | 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 6% | ## Punitive Discharges Of 21 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a punitive discharge: 5 bad-conduct and 4 dishonorable. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge. The rate of 43% is lower than the 56% for the year. Of 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence with no punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Rank and Court Level The accused were 21 junior enlisted members, 5 NCOs, and 3 officers. That mix is more junior than the Air Force in 2021 overall. General courts-martial, which can impose any lawful sentence, heard 20 of the 29 cases (69%). That is higher than the 53% for the year. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. ## Installations No installation tried more than 2 cases. JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Nellis AFB, Nevada, Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, and Robins AFB, Georgia, each had 2\. Vance AFB, Oklahoma, had 1\. Together they account for 31% of the month's cases. ## What the Records Do Not Show The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. They rarely list charges in a full acquittal, and Air Force records never report plea agreements. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation 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 Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in April 2021 (29 cases), compared with the whole year. 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, March 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-march-2021/) (previous / next) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, May 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-may-2021/) (previous / next) - [The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2021-year-in-review/) (the whole year) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2019/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2020/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [Air Force Courts-Martial, March 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-march-2021/)Next: [Air Force Courts-Martial, May 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-may-2021/) → **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.