What the Air Force Tried in November 2016
The records show 19 Air Force trials in November 2016. Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 60% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 46% across the Air Force in 2016. The median confinement was 6 months, longer than the 4-month median for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 4 min read
Trends › By Year › November 2016
Short answer: The records show 19 Air Force trials in November 2016. Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 60% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 46% across the Air Force in 2016. The median confinement was 6 months, longer than the 4-month median for the year.
Drug Offenses in Most Charged Cases
The charge lists cover 15 of 19 cases, and a case with several articles counts under each. Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 9 cases, or 60%. For the Air Force in all of 2016, the share was 46%.
Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 3 cases. Article 111 (drunken or reckless driving) and Article 128 (assault) appeared in 2 each. Article 120c (other sexual misconduct), Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), Article 134 (general article), and Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 1 each.
Article 134 appeared in 7% of the month's cases, lower than its 27% for the year. Air Force records rarely list charges in a full acquittal, so these shares mostly describe cases with a conviction.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 9 | 60% | 46% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 111 Drunken or reckless driving | 2 | 13% | 4% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 13% | 11% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 1 | 7% | 1% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 7% | 7% |
| Art. 134 General article | 1 | 7% | 27% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 1 | 7% | 0% |
Confinement
Of 15 convictions, 12 carried confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force in 2016. A quarter of the confinement terms were 2 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences for every charge of conviction, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Full Acquittals
4 of the 19 cases ended in a full acquittal (21%), compared with 18% for the Air Force in 2016. A full acquittal means not guilty of all charges.
From 2016 to 2019, Air Force records seldom list a guilty plea. This rate therefore uses every case in the month as its base, not contested cases alone.
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 53% of enlisted convictions: 5 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. The Air Force rate for 2016 was 54%, about the same.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 68% of the accused, and NCOs made up 32%. No officer was tried in the month. Across the Air Force in 2016, junior enlisted members were 65%.
There were 6 general and 13 special courts-martial, a general share of 32% compared with 47% for the year. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
Who Decided Guilt
A military judge alone decided 13 cases. Members heard 32% of cases with the forum listed: 4 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels.
Rules of the Time and Gaps in the Records
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, after these trials. Its fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements did not apply.
The records do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in November 2016 (19 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)
- October 2016 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 33 Cases (previous / next)
- What the Air Force Tried in December 2016 (previous / next)
- The Air Force Court-Martial Year, 2016 (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.