What the Army Tried in February 2025
The Army tried 24 courts-martial in February 2025, and all of the accused were enlisted members. 83% were general courts-martial, compared with 66% for the Army across 2025. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 8 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › February 2025
Short answer: The Army tried 24 courts-martial in February 2025, and all of the accused were enlisted members. 83% were general courts-martial, compared with 66% for the Army across 2025. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 8 months for the year. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 29% of cases, compared with 22%.
Only Enlisted Members, Mostly at General Courts-Martial
The accused were 16 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 8 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), with no officers or warrant officers. This group is more junior than the Army for all of 2025, where 50% were junior enlisted.
The month had 20 general and 4 special courts-martial. A general court-martial can adjudge any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
How Long Was the Confinement?
There were 21 convictions, and 18 of those sentences included confinement (86%). The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 8 months for 2025. A quarter of sentences were 2 years or longer.
4 convictions (19%) were 5 years or more, compared with 11% Army-wide. 4 (19%) were more than 1 year but under 5 years, compared with 18%. Overall, 8 of 21 convictions (38%) included more than one year, compared with 30%. 5 (24%) were under 6 months, compared with 36%. 3 (14%) included no confinement, compared with 19%. Another 5 convictions (24%) were 6 months to 1 year, compared with 15% for the year.
Each figure is an adjudged sentence: the total imposed at trial for every charge, recorded before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 14% | 19% |
| Under 6 months | 5 | 24% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 24% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 19% | 18% |
| 5 years or more | 4 | 19% | 11% |
Child Sexual Offenses and Attempts
Charge lists exist for all 24 cases, and an article counts once in each case. Article 134 was the most common, with 7 cases (29%). Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) and Article 80 (attempts) each appeared in 4 cases (17%), compared with 8% and 7% for the year.
Article 128b (domestic violence) also appeared in 17% of cases, compared with 26% for 2025. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 12%, compared with 19%. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 8%, compared with 3%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 8% of cases, compared with 11% for the year. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 8%, the same as the year.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 29% | 22% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 4 | 17% | 26% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 17% | 8% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 4 | 17% | 7% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 12% | 19% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 8% | 11% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 8% | 3% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 8% | 8% |
Pleas and Contested Cases
There were 17 guilty pleas and 7 contested cases. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 29%, compared with 20% for the year.
All 17 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records do not describe agreement terms. Of the contested cases, 3 of 7 ended in a full acquittal.
Punitive Discharges
Of 21 convicted enlisted members, 16 received a punitive discharge (76%), meaning a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. The share for the Army in 2025 was 73%. Of those 16, 7 were dishonorable.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not cover.
Who Decided Guilt
A military judge alone decided 20 cases, and enlisted panels decided 4. No officer panel heard a case. Members heard 17% of cases, about the same as the 15% for the Army over 2025.
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge or a panel of members decides guilt. Most guilty pleas go to a military judge alone, so the forum split follows the number of contested cases.
Compared With February 2024, and Law Changes
February 2024 had 29 cases, compared with 24 in February 2025. The contested share went from 41% to 29%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 3 of 12 to 3 of 7. The median confinement went from 1.2 years to 1 year.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 71% to 76%. The general court-martial share was 83% in both months. Convictions with confinement went from 88% to 86%. These monthly groups are small, so a few cases can change any figure.
Both months are after December 28, 2023. Since that date, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Military judges sentence under new parameters when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. Those rules depend on offense dates, which the records do not give, so each month mixes cases under old and new rules.
| February 2024 | February 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 29 | 24 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 41% | 29% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 12 | 3 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 88% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 1.2 years | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 71% | 76% |
| General courts-martial | 86% | 83% |
Installations and What the Records Do Not Show
Fort Campbell tried 3 cases, and Fort Stewart, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Wainwright, and Fort Bliss 2 each. Together they had 46% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases overall.
These counts cover only cases that reached a courtroom. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in February 2025 (24 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
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- January 2025 at Army Courts-Martial: 45 Cases (previous / next)
- March 2025 at Army Courts-Martial: 42 Cases (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial in 2025: Year in Review (the whole year)
- April 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 49 Cases
- April 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 46 Cases
- Army Courts-Martial, August 2025: The Month in Review
- Army Courts-Martial, December 2024: 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.