Air Force Courts-Martial, June 2019: The Month in Review
The Air Force tried 39 courts-martial in June 2019, compared with 31 in June 2018. The accused included 4 officers or warrant officers. Of convicted enlisted members, 62% received a punitive discharge, compared with 57% for the Air Force across 2019.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Air Force tried 39 courts-martial in June 2019, compared with 31 in June 2018. The accused included 4 officers or warrant officers. Of convicted enlisted members, 62% received a punitive discharge, compared with 57% for the Air Force across 2019.
More Cases Than the Year Before
June 2018 had 31 cases, and June 2019 had 39. The median confinement went from 3 months to 5 months. Convictions with confinement went from 76% to 86%.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 42% to 62%. General courts-martial went from 45% of the month's cases to 41%. Monthly groups are small enough that a few cases can change these numbers, and the records do not show what caused the changes.
| June 2018 | June 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 31 | 39 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 76% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 42% | 62% |
| General courts-martial | 45% | 41% |
A Higher Share of NCOs and Officers
Of the accused, 24 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 11 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 4 were officers or warrant officers. Across the Air Force in 2019, 68% of the accused were junior enlisted, so June had a more senior group.
Of the 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. The records show only the sentence, not any later effect on retirement or benefits.
Punitive Discharges for Enlisted Members
A punitive discharge followed 62% of enlisted convictions: 11 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. The Air Force rate for the year was 57%.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not cover.
Sentence Lengths
Of 29 convictions, 25 included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, about the same as the 4-month median for the Air Force in 2019. A quarter of the terms were 1 year or longer.
Terms under 6 months came in 14 convictions (48%, compared with 50% for the year). Terms from 6 months to 1 year came in 5 (17%). Terms longer than one year came in 6 of 29 (21%, compared with 20%), including 2 of 5 years or more. No confinement was imposed in 4 (14%).
These are adjudged sentences: imposed at trial for every charge of conviction, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 14% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 14 | 48% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 17% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 14% | 12% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 7% | 8% |
More Special Than General Courts-Martial
The month had 16 general and 23 special courts-martial, a general share of 41%. The median confinement was 1.8 years at general courts-martial and 3 months at special courts-martial.
A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Since 2019, a special court-martial tried by a military judge alone has a lower cap of six months and no punitive discharge.
More Full Acquittals Than the Year
Of the 39 cases, 10 ended in a full acquittal (26%), compared with 21% for the Air Force in 2019. A full acquittal means not guilty on every charge.
Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list guilty pleas. This rate is therefore measured against all cases, not only contested ones.
Charge Shares Close to the Year
Charges are listed for 29 of the 39 cases, and a case with three articles appears in three rows. Article 112a, wrongful use or possession of controlled substances, appeared in 52%, about the same as the 51% for the year. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 24%, compared with 23%.
Article 120c, other sexual misconduct, appeared in 7%, compared with 2%. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 10%, compared with 6%. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 10%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 7% each. The month had 10 full acquittals, which rarely have charge lists, so these shares mostly describe convictions.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 15 | 52% | 51% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 24% | 23% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 10% | 14% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 10% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 10% | 6% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 2 | 7% | 2% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 7% | 7% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 7% | 8% |
Forum, Bases, and Limits of the Records
A military judge alone decided 26 cases. Members heard the rest: 6 with enlisted panels and 7 with officer panels, or 33% of cases, compared with 42% for the year. The accused usually chooses the forum. Most guilty pleas go to a military judge alone, so a lower panel share often comes with fewer contested cases. Plea data for this period is missing, so that cannot be confirmed for June.
McConnell AFB, Kansas, tried 4 cases. Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, and Beale AFB, California, tried 3 each. Holloman AFB, New Mexico, and Dyess AFB, Texas, tried 2 each. Together they account for 36% of the month's cases. Larger bases try more cases of every kind, so a count alone shows little about any installation. The records list trial dates, not offense dates, and they 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 June 2019 (39 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 May 2019 (previous / next)
- What the Air Force Tried in July 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.