Army Cases Charging Both Article 115 and Article 120

Trends › By Offense › Article 115 › Army, with Article 120

Based on 22 cases · 2021–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most of These Cases Were Contested

Only 4 accused pleaded guilty. The other 18 contested at least one charge, a contested share of 82%. In all Army Article 115 cases in 2021–2026, the contested share was 45%.

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, either with a not-guilty plea or a mixed plea.

Verdicts in the 18 Contested Cases

Of 18 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. That full-acquittal rate, 22%, is lower than the 26% in Army-wide Article 115 cases.

Another 12 contested cases ended with a split result: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. This is called a partial acquittal. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common in Army records. A partial acquittal still counts as a conviction on at least one charge.

Panels Heard 52% of the Cases

A military judge alone heard 10 cases. An enlisted panel heard 10, and an officer panel heard 1. Members heard 52% of the cases, compared with 27% in the rest of the Army.

In contested cases, members heard 11 of 17 (65%). The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.

Confinement Was Long

18 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of those 18 sentences, 17 included confinement (94%). The median confinement was 1.7 years, longer than the 6-month median in the Army as a whole.

A quarter of the sentences were 5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, including any sexual assault conviction.

Nearly All Cases Were General Courts-Martial

There were 21 general courts-martial and 1 special court-martial. The general share was 95%, compared with 73% in all Army Article 115 cases in 2021–2026.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than 1 year of confinement, so the long terms in this group all came from that level.

Dishonorable Discharges Made Up 9 of 15

Among 17 enlisted members convicted, 15 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (88%). That is more often than in Army Article 115 cases overall (69%). 9 of the 15 were dishonorable discharges. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members, and a dismissal for officers.

1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in this group, and that officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Rank and Other Charges

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 64% of the accused, NCOs 32%, and officers 5%. Across Army Article 115 cases overall, junior enlisted members were 54%.

Besides Article 120, the most common other charges were Article 128 (assault) in 14 of the 22 cases, Article 128b (domestic violence) in 9, Article 134 (general article) in 6, and Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 5.

Years and Installations

The cases run from January 2021 to March 2026. There were 8 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 3 in 2023, 4 in 2024, 1 in 2025, and 2 in 2026, a partial year.

Fort Bragg tried 7 of the 22 cases. Fort Sill, Camp Humphreys, Fort Campbell, and Fort Hood had 2 each. These five installations account for 68% of the cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a count alone says little about any one base.

Rules and Record Limits

Sexual assault is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so trials from 2024 on mix cases under old and new rules.

The records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 115 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial

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.