What the Air Force Tried in August 2021
Of 18 Air Force courts-martial in August 2021, 11 were contested (61%), compared with 51% across the Air Force in 2021. Full acquittals came in 45% of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, about the same as the 47% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Year › August 2021
Short answer: Of 18 Air Force courts-martial in August 2021, 11 were contested (61%), compared with 51% across the Air Force in 2021. Full acquittals came in 45% of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, about the same as the 47% for the year. The median confinement was 3 months, against 4 months for the year.
More Contested Cases Than the Year
A contested case is one in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. In August 2021, 11 cases were contested and 7 were guilty pleas. The contested share of 61% was higher than the 51% for the Air Force in 2021.
Verdicts in the Contested Cases
Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 45% ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. The rate for the year was 47%.
Another 3 cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports it.
Members Heard Most Contested Cases
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members heard 44% of the month's cases: 5 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 10.
Among the contested cases, members heard 8 of 11 (73%).
Orders, General Article, and Assault Charges
Charges are listed in 13 of the 18 records, and each article counts once per case. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation), Article 134 (general article), and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 4 cases (31%). For the year, those shares were 18%, 19%, and 27%.
Article 93 (cruelty and maltreatment) appeared in 2 cases (15%), compared with 2% for the year. Drug charges under Article 112a also appeared in 2 cases (15%), lower than the 35% for the year. Article 120 appeared in 2 cases, and Article 120c and Article 117a appeared in 1 each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 31% | 18% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 31% | 19% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 31% | 27% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 15% | 35% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 15% | 11% |
| Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment | 2 | 15% | 2% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 1 | 8% | 3% |
| Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images | 1 | 8% | 0% |
Confinement and Discharges
Confinement was part of 85% of the 13 convictions. The median confinement was 3 months, and a quarter of the terms were 1 year or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in its case.
Of 12 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (50%), less often than the 56% for the year. Of those 6, 2 were dishonorable discharges. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Fewer Junior Enlisted Accused Than the Year
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 50% of the accused, NCOs (E-5 to E-9) 44%, and officers 6%. Across the Air Force in 2021, junior enlisted members were 65% of the accused.
General courts-martial were 9 of the 18 cases (50%), compared with 53% for the year. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
August 2021 Against August 2020
August 2020 had 26 cases, and August 2021 had 18. The contested share went from 38% to 61%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 4 of 10 in August 2020 and 5 of 11 in August 2021.
The median confinement went from 4 months to 3 months. The punitive discharge rate for enlisted members was 50% in both months. A few cases can change any of these figures, so they show direction more than size.
| August 2020 | August 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 26 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 38% | 61% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 10 | 5 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 86% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 50% | 50% |
| General courts-martial | 42% | 50% |
What the Records Do Not Show
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separation. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.
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 2021 (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)
- July 2021 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 23 Cases (previous / next)
- September 2021 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 19 Cases (previous / next)
- The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2021 (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.