Air Force Courts-Martial, May 2024: The Month in Review
The Air Force tried 20 courts-martial in May 2024. Of convicted enlisted members, 43% received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% for the Air Force in all of 2024. The median confinement was 3 months, shorter than the 5 months for the year.
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Short answer: The Air Force tried 20 courts-martial in May 2024. Of convicted enlisted members, 43% received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% for the Air Force in all of 2024. The median confinement was 3 months, shorter than the 5 months for the year.
Fewer Punitive Discharges for Enlisted Members
For an enlisted member, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge adjudged as part of the sentence. This month, 43% of enlisted convictions included one: 3 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. Across the Air Force in 2024, the share was 62%.
All 3 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge can still be followed by administrative separation, which the records do not cover.
A Short Median and Some Long Terms
Of 17 convictions, 15 included confinement. The median confinement was 3 months, shorter than the 5 months for the Air Force over the year. A quarter of the terms were 2 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial for every charge in the case. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or an appeal can lower them afterward.
Larceny and Drug Charges Were More Common
Charges are listed for 18 of the 20 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 112a, wrongful use or possession of controlled substances, appeared in 5 cases (28%), higher than the 22% for the year. Article 121, larceny, appeared in 3 (17%), compared with 8%.
Article 134, the general article, appeared in 4 cases (22%), the same as the service. Article 120, rape and sexual assault, appeared in 3 (17%), close to the annual 16%. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 2 (11%), lower than its 15% share.
Article 115 (communicating threats), Article 120c (other sexual misconduct), and Article 93 (cruelty and maltreatment) each appeared in 1 case. Air Force records rarely list charges after a full acquittal, so these shares come mostly from convictions.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 28% | 22% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 22% | 22% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 17% | 8% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 17% | 16% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 11% | 15% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 1 | 6% | 3% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 1 | 6% | 1% |
| Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment | 1 | 6% | 1% |
Pleas and Panels
Of 20 records, 18 list a plea: 10 guilty pleas and 8 contested cases. In a contested case, the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 44% is about the same as the 45% for the Air Force that year. Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. The others ended in at least one conviction.
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 13 of 20 cases (65%). Members decided 7: 6 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel.
Who Was Tried, and Where
The accused included 12 junior enlisted members, 5 NCOs, and 3 officers. That group is more junior than the Air Force as a whole. General courts-martial were 55% of cases (11 of 20). A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. Special courts-martial, capped at one year of confinement, heard the rest.
Five installations tried 2 cases each: Moody AFB, Georgia, McConnell AFB, Kansas, Ramstein AB, Germany, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, and JB Andrews, Maryland. Together they accounted for 50% of the month's cases. Larger bases try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not mean a base has a particular problem.
How the Month Compared With May 2023
May 2023 had 21 cases, and May 2024 had 20. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 7 of 10 to 3 of 8. The contested share went from 48% to 44%.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 62% to 43%. Median confinement went from 4 months to 3 months. Convictions with confinement went from 100% to 88%. The general court-martial share went from 52% to 55%. These are small groups, and a few cases can change each figure.
| May 2023 | May 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 21 | 20 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 48% | 44% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 7 of 10 | 3 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 100% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 62% | 43% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 55% |
New Rules in Force
The rules changed shortly before these trials. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, rather than commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. And when every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.
Both depend on the offense date, which the records do not give. Trials from 2024 therefore mix cases under old and new rules, and the records cannot show whether either change affected the figures on this page.
What the Records Do Not Show
Only court-martial results appear here. The records do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, or cases closed without action. They do not describe the evidence or the 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 May 2024 (20 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 April 2024 (previous / next)
- June 2024 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 24 Cases (previous / next)
- The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2024 (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.