December 2021 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 13 Cases
Air Force records list 13 courts-martial in December 2021, and 9 of them were contested (69%), compared with 51% across the Air Force in 2021. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 50% of the cases with charges listed, against 35% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Year › December 2021
Short answer: Air Force records list 13 courts-martial in December 2021, and 9 of them were contested (69%), compared with 51% across the Air Force in 2021. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 50% of the cases with charges listed, against 35% for the year. The median confinement was 2 months, shorter than the 4 months for the year.
Contested Cases Outnumbered Guilty Pleas
In December 2021, 9 accused contested the charges and 4 pleaded guilty. A contested case is one in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 69%, higher than the 51% for the year.
Of the 9 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal, with the accused found not guilty of all charges.
Panels of Members Decided 8 Cases
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members heard 8 of the 13 cases: 5 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels. A military judge alone decided 5 (38%).
Drug, Sexual Assault, and Orders Charges
Charges are listed for 10 of the 13 cases, and a case with several articles counts under each. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 5 cases (50%), compared with 35% for the year.
Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 3 cases (30%), compared with 11%. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) also appeared in 3 cases (30%), compared with 18%. Article 86, Article 120b, Article 116, Article 113, and Article 89 appeared in 1 case each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 50% | 35% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 30% | 11% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 30% | 18% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 1 | 10% | 3% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 10% | 5% |
| Art. 116 Riot or breach of peace | 1 | 10% | 1% |
| Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 1 | 10% | 6% |
| Art. 89 Disrespect toward superior officer; assault of superior officer | 1 | 10% | 1% |
Short Median Confinement
Of the 13 cases, 10 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 9 of those sentences included confinement (90%). The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force in 2021.
A quarter of the confinement terms were 2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in its case.
Discharges for Enlisted Members
Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 4 received a punitive discharge (40%): 3 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. The share for the year was 56%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank of the Accused and Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 54% of the accused and NCOs (E-5 to E-9) 46%. No officers were tried. For the year, junior enlisted members were 65% of the accused.
General courts-martial were 5 of the 13 cases (38%), lower than the 53% for the year. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
How December 2021 Compared With December 2020
December 2020 had 23 cases, and December 2021 had 13. The contested share went from 48% to 69%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 8 of 11 to 3 of 9.
The median confinement went from 4 months to 2 months, and convictions with confinement went from 100% to 90%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 47% to 40%, and the general court-martial share went from 52% to 38%. Small groups can shift with a few cases, so these changes show direction, not precision.
| December 2020 | December 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 23 | 13 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 48% | 69% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 8 of 11 | 3 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 100% | 90% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 2 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 47% | 40% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 38% |
Missing From the Records
Only trial dates appear in these records; offense dates do not. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are outside the records, as are the evidence and any plea terms. Air Force records never report plea agreements, and they rarely list the charges in a full acquittal.
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 2021 (13 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 November 2021 (previous / next)
- February 2022 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 21 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.