What the Air Force Tried in November 2018
The Air Force tried 33 courts-martial in November 2018, and the median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force in all of 2018. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 21% of cases with a charge list, compared with 10% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › November 2018
Short answer: The Air Force tried 33 courts-martial in November 2018, and the median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force in all of 2018. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 21% of cases with a charge list, compared with 10% for the year.
Short Confinement Terms
Most sentences this month were short. Of 24 convictions, 20 included confinement, and the median confinement was 2 months. Across the Air Force in 2018, the median was 4 months.
Terms under 6 months were part of 15 convictions (62%), compared with 48% for the service. Only 3 of 24 convictions (12%) included more than one year, compared with 20% for the year. A quarter of terms were 6 months or more.
These are adjudged sentences for every charge in the case, before any clemency, appeal, or plea-agreement cap.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 17% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 15 | 62% | 48% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 8% | 13% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 8% | 12% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 8% |
Assault and Orders Violations Were More Common
Of the 33 records, 24 list charges, and each article counts once per case. Assault under Article 128 and failure to obey an order or regulation under Article 92 each appeared in 5 cases (21%). For the year, the shares were 10% and 15%.
Article 111, drunken or reckless driving under the pre-2019 numbering, appeared in 3 cases (12%), compared with 5% service-wide. Article 107, false official statements, also appeared in 3 (12%), compared with 7%. Article 116, riot or breach of peace, appeared once.
Drug charges under Article 112a were the most common charge, in 9 cases (38%). That is lower than the 47% for the year. Article 134 appeared in 7 (29%), and Article 120b in 2.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 9 | 38% | 47% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 29% | 27% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 5 | 21% | 10% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 5 | 21% | 15% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 12% | 7% |
| Art. 111 Drunken or reckless driving | 3 | 12% | 5% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 8% | 12% |
| Art. 116 Riot or breach of peace | 1 | 4% | 0% |
Sentences at Each Court Level
General courts-martial made up 17 of the 33 cases (52%), close to the 50% for 2018, and special courts-martial 16. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
At general courts-martial, 70% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1 year. At special courts-martial, 93% did, and the median was 2 months.
Acquittals Above the Annual Rate
A full acquittal means not guilty of all charges. Full acquittals were 9 of the 33 cases (27%), compared with 22% for the Air Force in 2018.
Records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list guilty pleas. This rate therefore uses all cases as its base, not only contested cases. The records for this period do not allow a rate for contested cases alone.
Punitive Discharges Were About the Same as the Service
Among 22 convicted enlisted members, 13 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (59%), about the same as the 58% across the Air Force. Of the 13, 3 were dishonorable discharges.
Both of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Judges and Panels
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Where the forum is listed, a judge alone decided 18 of 31 cases (58%). Members decided 13: 7 officer panels and 6 enlisted panels.
The records from this period rarely list a guilty plea. They therefore cannot show how many of these cases were contested.
A More Senior Mix of Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 55% of the accused, lower than the 63% for the Air Force in 2018. NCOs made up 39% and officers 6%.
Offutt AFB, Nebraska, tried 3 cases. JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, and Yokota AB, Japan, tried 2 each. The five together accounted for 33% of the month's cases. Larger bases try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not by itself mean a base has a problem.
A Year After November 2017
November 2017 had 32 cases, and November 2018 had 33. Median confinement went from 3 months to 2 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 58% to 59%. Convictions with confinement went from 85% to 83%. The general court-martial share went from 56% to 52%. Small monthly groups can change with a few cases, so these figures show direction only.
| November 2017 | November 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 32 | 33 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 2 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 58% | 59% |
| General courts-martial | 56% | 52% |
Reform Ahead, and Record Limits
These trials came shortly before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. That law brought fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and written plea agreements. None of those changes applied to these cases. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
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 2018 (33 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 October 2018 (previous / next)
- What the Air Force Tried in December 2018 (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2018: 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.