March 2019 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 30 Cases
The Air Force tried 30 courts-martial in March 2019, and 80% of them were general courts-martial, compared with 50% for the Air Force across 2019. The median confinement after conviction was 9 months, compared with 4 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Air Force tried 30 courts-martial in March 2019, and 80% of them were general courts-martial, compared with 50% for the Air Force across 2019. The median confinement after conviction was 9 months, compared with 4 months for the year. Article 134 appeared in 43% of the cases with a charge list.
Longer Sentences Than the Year
Of 22 convictions, 19 included confinement. The median confinement was 9 months. Across the Air Force in 2019, the median was 4 months.
A quarter of the confinement terms were 3 years or longer. Terms longer than one year came in 8 of the 22 convictions (36%), compared with 20% for the Air Force. Of those 8, 4 were more than 1 year but under 5 years. The other 4 were 5 years or more (18%, compared with 8% across the Air Force).
These are adjudged sentences: the sentence the court announced for every charge in the case. Clemency, an appeal, or a plea-agreement cap can change them later.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 14% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 8 | 36% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 14% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 18% | 12% |
| 5 years or more | 4 | 18% | 8% |
Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial
Of the 30 cases, 24 were general courts-martial. That 80% share is higher than the 50% for the Air Force in 2019. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge.
Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with a cap of six months and no punitive discharge.
The General Article and Assault Were the Most Common Charges
Charges are listed for 21 of the 30 cases, and each article is counted once per case. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 9 cases (43%), compared with 23% for the year. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 7 cases (33%), compared with 15%.
Rape and sexual assault under Article 120 appeared in 4 cases (19%), higher than the annual 8%. Larceny under Article 121 appeared in 3 cases (14%), compared with 6%. Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, appeared in 2.
Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 5 cases (24%), compared with 51% across the Air Force that year. Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 1 case.
Air Force records rarely list charges when a case ends in a full acquittal. These shares therefore mostly describe cases with at least one conviction.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 43% | 23% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 7 | 33% | 15% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 24% | 51% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 19% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 14% | 6% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 10% | 7% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 1 | 5% | 2% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 5% | 8% |
More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges
Of 21 convicted enlisted members, 15 received a punitive discharge (71%). That is higher than the 57% rate for the Air Force in 2019. Of those 15, 9 were dishonorable and 6 were bad-conduct.
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, which these records do not cover.
Members Decided Most Cases
Where the forum is listed, members heard 64% of cases: 11 with enlisted panels and 7 with officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 10. The accused usually makes that choice.
Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, but records from this period rarely list a guilty plea. The number of guilty pleas this month is therefore unknown, and the records cannot show whether members heard mostly contested cases.
More Full Acquittals Than the Year
Of the 30 cases, 8 ended in a full acquittal (27%), compared with 21% across the Air Force in 2019. Records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list guilty pleas, so this rate is measured against all cases, not only contested ones. A rate based on contested cases alone would be higher.
Who Was Tried, and Where
NCOs made up 40% of the accused, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 53%, and officers 7%. Junior enlisted members were 68% of the accused across the Air Force in 2019, so this month had a more senior group.
Holloman AFB, New Mexico, Andersen AFB, Guam, Nellis AFB, Nevada, Peterson SFB, Colorado, and Hurlburt Field, Florida, each tried 2 cases. Together they account for 33% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds, so these counts do not show a problem at any base.
Compared With March 2018
March 2018 had 34 cases, and March 2019 had 30. The median confinement went from 4 months to 9 months. The general court-martial share went from 38% to 80%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 63% to 71%, and convictions with confinement went from 81% to 86%.
Monthly groups are small, so a few cases can change these figures. The comparison shows direction rather than precise change.
| March 2018 | March 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 34 | 30 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 81% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 63% | 71% |
| General courts-martial | 38% | 80% |
What the Records Do Not Show
The records cover trials only. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, or cases closed with no action. They also do not show the evidence, plea terms, or offense dates.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in March 2019 (30 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 February 2019 (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review (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, 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.