What the Air Force Tried in February 2021
The Air Force tried 14 courts-martial in February 2021, and 9 of them were guilty pleas. Only 36% of cases were contested, compared with 51% for the Air Force across 2021. Of convicted enlisted members, 40% received a punitive discharge, against 56% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 4 min read
Trends › By Year › February 2021
Short answer: The Air Force tried 14 courts-martial in February 2021, and 9 of them were guilty pleas. Only 36% of cases were contested, compared with 51% for the Air Force across 2021. Of convicted enlisted members, 40% received a punitive discharge, against 56% for the year.
Mostly Guilty Pleas
In February 2021, 9 accused pleaded guilty and 5 contested the charges. A contested case is one in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 36% was lower than the 51% for the year.
Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges.
Fewer Contested Cases Than in February 2020
February 2020 had 23 cases, and 90% of those with a plea recorded were contested. In February 2021, with 14 cases, the contested share was 36%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 5 of 9 in February 2020 and 3 of 5 in February 2021.
Convictions with confinement went from 94% to 73%, and the median confinement went from 3 months to 4 months. The general court-martial share went from 30% to 50%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 38% to 40%. These groups are small, so a few cases can move each figure.
| February 2020 | February 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 23 | 14 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 90% | 36% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 9 | 3 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 94% | 73% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 38% | 40% |
| General courts-martial | 30% | 50% |
Confinement Terms
Confinement was part of 73% of the 11 convictions. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as for the Air Force in 2021. A quarter of the confinement terms were 5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in its case.
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 40% of enlisted convictions: 3 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. The rate for the year was 56%. The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Charges Listed for 11 Cases
The records list charges for 11 of the 14 cases, and a case can count under more than one article. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) and Article 128 (assault) appeared in 3 cases each (27%).
Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 2 cases (18%), compared with 4% for the year. Article 134 also appeared in 2 cases. Article 118 (murder), Article 83 (malingering), Article 86, and Article 87b each appeared in 1 case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 27% | 35% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 27% | 27% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 18% | 4% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 18% | 19% |
| Art. 118 Murder | 1 | 9% | 0% |
| Art. 83 Malingering | 1 | 9% | 1% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 1 | 9% | 3% |
| Art. 87b Offenses against correctional custody | 1 | 9% | 0% |
Forum, Rank, and Court Level
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 10 cases, and members heard 29%: 2 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 64% of the accused, about the same as the 65% for the year. NCOs (E-5 to E-9) were 21% and officers 14%. General courts-martial were 7 of the 14 cases (50%), compared with 53% for the year.
Limits of the Data
Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They leave out the evidence, the plea terms, and conduct handled outside a court-martial. 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 February 2021 (14 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, January 2021: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, March 2021: The Month in Review (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.