Air Force Courts-Martial, February 2023: The Month in Review
Air Force records list 14 courts-martial in February 2023, and 11 of them were general courts-martial (79%). The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 5 months for the Air Force across 2023, and all 10 convictions included confinement.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 4 min read
Trends › By Year › February 2023
Short answer: Air Force records list 14 courts-martial in February 2023, and 11 of them were general courts-martial (79%). The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 5 months for the Air Force across 2023, and all 10 convictions included confinement. Of the cases, 57% were contested, against 53% for the year.
General Courts-Martial in 79% of Cases
General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, made up 11 of the 14 cases (79%). Special courts-martial made up the rest. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
In February 2022, general courts-martial were 57% of the month's cases.
Confinement in All 10 Convictions
Confinement was part of 100% of the 10 convictions. The median confinement was 8 months, longer than the 5 months for the year. A quarter of the confinement terms were 1.8 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in its case.
Discharges After Conviction
Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a punitive discharge: 3 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. For the year, the share was 58%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
The General Article Led the Charges
Charges are listed for 10 of the 14 cases, and a case can count under more than one article. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 4 cases (40%), compared with 19% for the year.
Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), Article 128b (domestic violence), and Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 2 cases each (20%). Drug charges were lower than their 28% share for the year. Article 131b, Article 115, Article 90, and Article 107 appeared in 1 case each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 40% | 19% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 20% | 14% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 20% | 28% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 10% | 3% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 1 | 10% | 8% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 1 | 10% | 5% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 10% | 5% |
Pleas and Who Decided Guilt
The month had 8 contested cases, in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, and 6 guilty pleas. The contested share was 57%, about the same as the 53% for the year.
A military judge alone decided 9 of the 14 cases (64%). Members heard 5: 4 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. The accused usually makes this choice.
February 2023 Against February 2022
February 2022 had 21 cases, and February 2023 had 14. The contested share went from 33% to 57%, and full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 3 of 7 to 4 of 8.
The median confinement went from 6 months to 8 months, and convictions with confinement went from 89% to 100%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 71% to 60%. With so few cases, these changes show direction rather than size.
| February 2022 | February 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 21 | 14 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 57% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 7 | 4 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 89% | 100% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 71% | 60% |
| General courts-martial | 57% | 79% |
Rank of the Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 64% of the accused, NCOs (E-5 to E-9) 29%, and officers 7%. For the year, junior enlisted members were 62%.
What the Records Omit
Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in these records. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. 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 2023 (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)
- January 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 24 Cases (previous / next)
- March 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 29 Cases (previous / next)
- How 2023 Went at Air Force Courts-Martial (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.