> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What the Air Force Tried in March 2024 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-march-2024/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:08:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:08:53.000Z - Description: Air Force records show 18 courts-martial tried in March 2024. Among 13 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (69%), compared with 62% across the Air Force in 2024. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 5 months for the year. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › March 2024 **Short answer:** Air Force records show 18 courts-martial tried in March 2024\. Among 13 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (69%), compared with 62% across the Air Force in 2024\. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 5 months for the year. Based on 18 cases · March 2024 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Discharges Were More Common Than the Year 9 of 13 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (69%), higher than the 62% for the Air Force in all of 2024\. 3 of those 9 were dishonorable discharges, and the rest were bad-conduct discharges. The month had 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, and 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Length of Confinement Confinement was part of 86% of the 14 convictions. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 5 months across the Air Force in 2024\. A quarter of the confinement terms were 2.5 years or longer. Sentences here are as adjudged at trial for all charges of conviction. Any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal would come later. ## March 2023 Compared With March 2024 March 2023 had 29 cases, and March 2024 had 18\. The median confinement went from 9 months to 4 months. Convictions with confinement went from 95% to 86%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 53% to 69%. The general court-martial share went from 66% to 44%, and the contested share went from 55% to 41%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 9 of 16 to 4 of 7. Each month has few cases, so a few cases can move any of these figures. | | March 2023 | March 2024 | | ----------------------------------- | ---------- | ---------- | | Cases | 29 | 18 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 55% | 41% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 9 of 16 | 4 of 7 | | Convictions with confinement | 95% | 86% | | Median confinement | 9 months | 4 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 53% | 69% | | General courts-martial | 66% | 44% | ## Pleas and Verdicts 17 of the 18 records list the plea. 10 accused pleaded guilty and 7 entered a not-guilty or mixed plea, a contested share of 41%. The Air Force figure for 2024 was 45%. Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. ## Charges Spread Across Many Articles 15 of the 18 records list the charges. No single article appeared in more than 3 cases. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), Article 112a (drug offenses), and Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) each appeared in 3 cases (20%). Article 134 (general article), Article 128b (domestic violence), Article 86 (AWOL), Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 2 cases (13%). Article 86 appeared more often than its 3% for the year, and Article 120b more often than its 7%. Air Force records rarely list charges in a full acquittal. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2024 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 20% | 16% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 20% | 22% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 20% | 13% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 2 | 13% | 22% | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 2 | 13% | 13% | | [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL | 2 | 13% | 3% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 13% | 7% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 2 | 13% | 15% | ## Forum, Rank, and Court Level A military judge alone decided guilt in 14 cases. Members heard 22% of cases with the forum listed: 2 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 56% of the accused, NCOs 39%, and officers 6%. Across the Air Force in 2024, junior enlisted members were 54%. General courts-martial made up 44% of the cases (8 of 18). A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## What These Records Do Not Include The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. They cover courts-martial only, not nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations. Air Force records never report plea agreements. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in March 2024 (18 cases), compared with the whole year. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [What the Air Force Tried in January 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-january-2024/) (previous / next) - [What the Air Force Tried in April 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2024/) (previous / next) - [The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2024-year-in-review/) (the whole year) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2019/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2020/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [What the Air Force Tried in January 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-january-2024/)Next: [What the Air Force Tried in April 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2024/) → **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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.