December 2019 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 25 Cases
The Air Force tried 25 courts-martial in December 2019. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 25% of cases with a charge list, compared with 15% for the Air Force in 2019.
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Trends › By Year › December 2019
Short answer: The Air Force tried 25 courts-martial in December 2019. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 25% of cases with a charge list, compared with 15% for the Air Force in 2019. Drug charges appeared less often than in the year overall, and the median confinement was 4 months, the same as the annual median.
More Assault Charges, Fewer Drug Charges
Charges are listed for 20 of the 25 cases, and each article is counted once per case. Article 128, assault, appeared in 5 of them (25%), compared with 15% across the Air Force in 2019. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 6 cases (30%), lower than the annual 51%.
Article 107, false official statements, appeared in 3 cases (15%), compared with 8% for the year. Article 121, larceny, also appeared in 3 cases (15%), compared with 6%. Article 131b, obstructing justice, appeared in 2 cases (10%), compared with 1%.
Article 92 appeared in 4 cases (20%), compared with 14%. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 2 cases (10%), compared with 23%. Article 120, rape and sexual assault, appeared in 2 cases (10%), compared with 8%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 30% | 51% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 5 | 25% | 15% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 20% | 14% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 15% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 15% | 6% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 10% | 1% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 10% | 23% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 10% | 8% |
The Same Median, With Some Long Terms
Of 20 convictions, 16 (80%) included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as the annual median. A quarter of the terms were 3.5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case. Terms longer than one year came in 4 of 20 convictions (20%), the same as the 20% for the year.
Terms under 6 months were 50% of convictions, the same as the year. Convictions with no confinement were 20%, compared with 15%. Terms from 6 months to 1 year were 10%, compared with 15%. Terms from 1 year to under 5 years were 10%, compared with 12%, and terms of 5 years or more were 10%, compared with 8%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 20% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 50% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 10% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 10% | 12% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 10% | 8% |
General and Special Courts-Martial
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with a cap of six months and no punitive discharge.
The month had 11 general courts-martial (44%, compared with 50% for the year) and 14 special courts-martial. At general courts-martial, 6 of 7 convictions included confinement, with a median of 3.6 years. At special courts-martial, 77% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 3 months.
Punitive Discharges at About the Annual Rate
A punitive discharge followed 56% of enlisted convictions, compared with 57% for the year. The month had 7 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges.
Both of the month's 2 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Full Acquittals
Of the 25 cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal (20%), about the same as the 21% for the Air Force in 2019. This rate is measured against all cases. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the number of contested cases for this month is unknown.
Who Decided Guilt?
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 13 of the 25 cases (52%). Members decided 12: 8 with officer panels and 4 with enlisted panels.
Guilty pleas are not recorded for most cases, so these figures cannot be compared with the number of contested cases.
Compared With December 2018
December 2018 had 30 cases, and December 2019 had 25. The median confinement was 4 months in both months. Convictions with confinement went from 67% to 80%.
Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 70% to 56%. The general court-martial share went from 47% to 44%. A few cases can change figures for groups this small, so these comparisons show direction, not precise change.
| December 2018 | December 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 30 | 25 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 67% | 80% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 70% | 56% |
| General courts-martial | 47% | 44% |
Rank and Bases
The accused were 14 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 8 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 3 officers or warrant officers. Across 2019, junior enlisted members were 68% of the accused, so this month had a more senior group.
Yokota AB, Japan, and McConnell AFB, Kansas, each tried 2 cases. Peterson SFB, Colorado, Ramstein AB, Germany, and Andersen AFB, Guam, tried 1 each. These 5 bases account for 28% of the month's cases.
Limits of the Records
The records give trial dates but not offense dates. They do not show the evidence or the plea terms. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and do not report plea agreements. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not in these records.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in December 2019 (25 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)
- November 2019 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 21 Cases (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, January 2020: The Month in Review (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.