Air Force Courts-Martial, January 2019: The Month in Review
Air Force records list 24 courts-martial in January 2019. Drug charges appeared in 35% of cases with charge lists, compared with 51% for the Air Force across 2019. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 4 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › January 2019
Short answer: Air Force records list 24 courts-martial in January 2019. Drug charges appeared in 35% of cases with charge lists, compared with 51% for the Air Force across 2019. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 4 months for the year.
Fewer Drug Charges, More Larceny and False Statement Charges
Charges are listed for 20 cases. Article 112a, wrongful use or possession of controlled substances, was the most common charge, but it appeared in 35% of those cases. The share for the year was 51%.
Article 134, the general article, appeared in 30%, compared with 23% for the year. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 15%, compared with 6%. Article 107 (false official statements) also appeared in 15%, compared with 8%. Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, appeared in 20%, compared with 14%.
Article 128 (assault) appeared in 10%, compared with 15%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 10%, and Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) in 1 case. Each case counts once under every article it lists. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals, so these shares mostly describe cases with at least one conviction.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7 | 35% | 51% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 30% | 23% |
| 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. 128 Assault | 2 | 10% | 15% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 10% | 7% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 1 | 5% | 2% |
Longer Terms Than the Year
There were 20 convictions on at least one charge, and 16 included confinement (80%). The median confinement was 7 months, higher than the Air Force median of 4 months. A quarter of the terms were 2.5 years or longer.
Terms under 6 months came in 35% of convictions, compared with 50% for the year. Terms from 6 months to 1 year came in 20%. Terms longer than one year came in 5 of 20 convictions (25%), compared with 20% for the Air Force. No confinement was imposed in 20% of convictions.
These are adjudged sentences, recorded before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge of conviction.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 20% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 7 | 35% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 20% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 15% | 12% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 10% | 8% |
Equal Numbers of General and Special Courts-Martial
The month had 12 general and 12 special courts-martial. The general share was 50%, the same as the 50% for the Air Force in 2019.
Sentences differed by court level. All 9 convictions at general courts-martial included confinement, with a median of 1.2 years. At special courts-martial, 64% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 2 months. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
More Punitive Discharges Than the Year
Of 19 convicted enlisted members, 12 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (63%). That is higher than the 57% for the Air Force in 2019. Of those 12, 4 were dishonorable.
The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not include.
Compared With January 2018
January 2018 had 30 cases, and January 2019 had 24. The median confinement went from 6 months to 7 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 43% to 63%. General courts-martial went from 43% of cases to 50%. Convictions with confinement went from 84% to 80%.
Small monthly groups can change with only a few cases. These comparisons show direction but do not measure a trend, and the records cannot show what caused them.
| January 2018 | January 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 30 | 24 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 84% | 80% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 43% | 63% |
| General courts-martial | 43% | 50% |
Full Acquittals
Of the 24 cases, 4 ended in a full acquittal (17%), compared with 21% for the Air Force in 2019. A full acquittal is a finding of not guilty on every charge.
Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely note guilty pleas. This rate is therefore measured against every case, not only contested cases.
Rank and Forum
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 71% of the accused, NCOs 25%, and officers 4%. The junior enlisted share across the Air Force was 68%.
A military judge alone decided 13 cases. Members decided the rest: 3 with enlisted panels and 8 with officer panels. Members heard 46% of the month's cases, compared with 42% for the year. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel decides guilt.
Bases and Limits of the Data
Beale AFB, California, Moody AFB, Georgia, Kadena AB, Japan, and Hurlburt Field, Florida, each tried 2 cases. Eielson AFB, Alaska, tried 1. Together they account for 38% of the 24 cases.
Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, capped at six months with no punitive discharge. The records list trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied to a given case. They also do not include nonjudicial punishment, the evidence, or plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in January 2019 (24 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 December 2018 (previous / next)
- What the Air Force Tried in February 2019 (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.