Drunken Or Reckless Driving at Army Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers
The Army records hold 22 courts-martial from 2023 that charged Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving), and Fort Wainwright tried 11 of them. Every conviction included confinement, but the median was 25 days, compared with 6 months for all Army cases in 2023.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 113 › Army, 2023
Short answer: The Army records hold 22 courts-martial from 2023 that charged Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving), and Fort Wainwright tried 11 of them. Every conviction included confinement, but the median was 25 days, compared with 6 months for all Army cases in 2023. 18 of the 22 accused pleaded guilty.
Fort Wainwright Tried 11 of the 22 Cases
Fort Wainwright had the most of these cases, with 11. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Benning tried 2 each, and Fort Polk and Fort Carson 1 each. Together these five installations account for 77% of the 22 cases.
Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem with this offense. The records do not show why cases were tried where they were.
Short Sentences, but Confinement in Every One
Of the 22 convictions, 22 included confinement. The median confinement was 25 days. Across all Army cases in 2023, the median was 6 months. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 9 months or longer.
Terms under 6 months made up 14 convictions (64%), compared with 39% Army-wide. Terms from 6 months to 1 year made up 4 (18%), and terms of more than 1 year but under 5 years made up another 4 (18%). No sentence here reached 5 years or more, while 8% of all Army sentences in 2023 did.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 0 | 0% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 14 | 64% | 39% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 18% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 18% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 8% |
Most Accused Pleaded Guilty
18 accused pleaded guilty and 4 contested at least one charge. The contested share of 18% was lower than the 31% for all Army cases in 2023. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.
All 18 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said.
Fewer Punitive Discharges
8 of 21 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 5 bad-conduct and 3 dishonorable. Across all Army cases in 2023, the share was 74%.
1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears here, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Charged Alone in 8 Cases
Article 113 was the only charge in 8 of the 22 cases. In the others, Article 134 (general article) appeared in 6 and Article 128 (assault) in 5. Article 90 (disobeying an officer) and Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 3 each, and Article 114 (endangerment) in 2.
Court Level, Forum, and Rank
11 cases were general courts-martial and 5 were special courts-martial. 6 cases do not list the court level. Among the cases with a court level listed, the general share was 69%. Across all Army cases in 2023, general courts-martial made up 76%.
A military judge alone decided 19 cases, and enlisted panels heard 3. Members heard 14% of the cases with the forum listed, and no case went to an officer panel.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 50% of the accused, NCOs 45%, and officers 5%. Across all Army cases in 2023, junior enlisted members were 56%.
What This Leaves Out
Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted here. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are not in these records. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 113 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2023 that charged Article 113 (22 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2022.
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
- Article 113 (Misbehavior of a Sentinel Before 2019, Drunken or Reckless Driving Since): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- How Army Drunken Or Reckless Driving Cases Ended in 2024 (previous / next)
- Is Army Drunken Or Reckless Driving Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 113, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- AWOL at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2021
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2023
- Army Article 115 Cases in 2022
- Article 113 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- Article 113 explained on the law firm's website
- 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.