> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What the Air Force Tried in December 2024 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-december-2024/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:09:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:09:00.000Z - Description: The Air Force tried 19 courts-martial in December 2024. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 5 months across the Air Force in 2024, and a quarter of confinement terms were 4.9 years or longer. Of the cases with a plea recorded, 60% were contested, against 45% for the year. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › December 2024 **Short answer:** The Air Force tried 19 courts-martial in December 2024\. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 5 months across the Air Force in 2024, and a quarter of confinement terms were 4.9 years or longer. Of the cases with a plea recorded, 60% were contested, against 45% for the year. Based on 19 cases · December 2024 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Longer Confinement Than the Year Of 15 convictions, 14 included confinement. The median confinement was 9 months, longer than the 5 months for the Air Force in 2024\. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 4.9 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences. They were announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case. ## 5 Dishonorable Discharges For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. Of 15 convicted enlisted members, 9 received one: 4 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. For the year, the share was 62%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Charges Recorded in Every Case Charge lists cover all 19 cases, and a case with several articles appears under each. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) was the most common, in 6 cases (32%), compared with 22% for the year. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 5 cases (26%), also compared with 22%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) and Article 128 (assault) appeared in 4 cases each (21%). Their shares for the year were 16% and 15%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 3 cases (16%), compared with 7%. Article 92 also appeared in 3 cases, Article 113 in 2, and Article 80 in 1. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2024 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 32% | 22% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 5 | 26% | 22% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 21% | 16% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 4 | 21% | 15% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 16% | 7% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 16% | 13% | | [Art. 113](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-113/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 2 | 11% | 4% | | [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts | 1 | 5% | 1% | ## Contested Cases and Panels The plea is recorded in 15 of the 19 cases: 9 contested cases and 6 guilty pleas. A contested case is one in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 60% was higher than the 45% for the year. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 13 cases. Members heard 32%: 5 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. ## A Junior Group of Accused Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 68% of the accused, and NCOs (E-5 to E-9) made up 32%. No officers were tried. Across the Air Force in 2024, junior enlisted members were 54% of the accused. General courts-martial were 8 of the 19 cases (42%), lower than the 57% for the year. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## Rules in Effect and Missing Details Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules turn on the offense date, which the records do not give, so December 2024 trials may mix old-rule and new-rule cases. Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records never report plea agreements. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in December 2024 (19 cases), compared with the whole year. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [October 2024 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 28 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-october-2024/) (previous / next) - [January 2025 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-january-2025/) (previous / next) - [The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2024-year-in-review/) (the whole year) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2019/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2020/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [October 2024 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 28 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-october-2024/)Next: [January 2025 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-january-2025/) → **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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.