August 2019 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 18 Cases
In August 2019, the Air Force tried 18 courts-martial, and 6 of them ended in a full acquittal (33%). Across all of 2019, the Air Force rate was 21%. The median confinement for the month was 6 months, compared with 4 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Year › August 2019
Short answer: In August 2019, the Air Force tried 18 courts-martial, and 6 of them ended in a full acquittal (33%). Across all of 2019, the Air Force rate was 21%. The median confinement for the month was 6 months, compared with 4 months for the year.
6 Full Acquittals in 18 Cases
In 6 of the 18 cases, the accused was found not guilty of every charge. That is 33%, higher than the 21% for the Air Force over all of 2019.
This rate uses all cases as its base. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely note when the accused pleaded guilty, so the number of contested cases, where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, cannot be counted for this month.
Confinement in 10 of 12 Convictions
Of 12 convictions, 10 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, longer than the 4 months for the year. A quarter of the confinement terms were 10 months or longer.
These figures are adjudged sentences. They are the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
Drug Charges Were the Most Common
The records list charges for 12 of the 18 cases. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals. An article counts once per case, so a case can appear under more than one article.
Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 6 cases (50%), about the same as the 51% for the year. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 3 cases (25%), compared with 15%.
Article 120, Article 80 (attempts), Article 86 (AWOL), and Article 92 appeared in 2 cases each (17%). Attempts were 2% of cases for the year, and AWOL was 4%. Article 107 and Article 131e appeared in 1 case each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 50% | 51% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 25% | 15% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 17% | 8% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 2 | 17% | 2% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 17% | 4% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 17% | 14% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 8% | 8% |
| Art. 131e Prevention of authorized seizure of property | 1 | 8% | 0% |
Punitive Discharges for Enlisted Members
A punitive discharge for an enlisted member is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. Of 12 convicted enlisted members, 7 received one (58%): 6 bad-conduct and 1 dishonorable. For the year, the share was 57%.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Junior Enlisted Accused and No Officers
The accused were 13 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 5 NCOs (E-5 to E-9). No officers or warrant officers were tried this month. The group was more junior than the Air Force for all of 2019, where 68% of the accused were junior enlisted.
Of the 18 cases, 10 were general courts-martial (56%), compared with 50% for the year. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Military Judges Alone Decided 61% of Cases
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 11 of the 18 cases (61%). Members heard 7: 5 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels.
Changes From August 2018
August 2018 had 25 cases, and August 2019 had 18. The median confinement went from 9 months to 6 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 71% to 58%.
Convictions with confinement were 82% in August 2018 and 83% in August 2019. The general court-martial share went from 52% to 56%. These are small groups, and a few cases can move any of these figures.
| August 2018 | August 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 25 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 82% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 9 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 71% | 58% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 56% |
Limits of the Records
Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records never report plea agreements and, from 2016 to 2019, rarely list a guilty plea.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in August 2019 (18 cases), compared with the whole year.
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)
- What the Air Force Tried in July 2019 (previous / next)
- What the Air Force Tried in September 2019 (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review (the whole year)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2018: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2018: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month 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.