Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2022: The Month in Review
The Air Force tried 18 courts-martial in August 2022. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 50% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 33% across the Air Force in 2022.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 4 min read
Trends › By Year › August 2022
Short answer: The Air Force tried 18 courts-martial in August 2022. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 50% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 33% across the Air Force in 2022. Of convicted enlisted members, 55% received a punitive discharge, against 59% for the year, and 4 of those discharges were dishonorable.
Drug Charges in 6 of 12 Cases
The records list charges for 12 of the 18 cases. Each article counts once per case. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 6 cases (50%), higher than its 33% share for the year.
Article 134 (general article) appeared in 3 cases (25%), compared with 20%. Article 120 and Article 128 appeared in 2 cases each (17%). Article 118 (murder), Article 120c, Article 125 (kidnapping), and Article 131b appeared in 1 case each. Murder and kidnapping were each 0% of cases for the year when rounded.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 50% | 33% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 25% | 20% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 17% | 15% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 17% | 23% |
| Art. 118 Murder | 1 | 8% | 0% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 1 | 8% | 4% |
| Art. 125 Kidnapping | 1 | 8% | 0% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 8% | 3% |
More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges
For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. Of 11 convicted enlisted members, 6 received one: 2 bad-conduct and 4 dishonorable. That is 55%, compared with 59% for the year.
The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed, which is the officer equivalent. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Confinement After Conviction
Of 12 convictions, 11 included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, about the same as the 6 months for the Air Force in 2022. A quarter of the confinement terms were 1.5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in its case.
Pleas Split Evenly
In August 2022, 9 accused pleaded guilty and 9 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 50%, about the same as the 47% for the year.
Panels and Military Judges
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 decided 7: 5 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels.
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 11 junior enlisted members, 6 NCOs, and 1 officer. This was a more junior group than the Air Force's accused across 2022.
The month had 10 general and 8 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 56%, about the same as the 57% for the year. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, while a special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Gaps in 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, such as nonjudicial punishment. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements. The records give trial dates, not offense dates.
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 2022 (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)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, July 2022: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, September 2022: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2022: 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.