Article 133 Across the Services: Cases, Pleas, and Sentences, 2021–2025
From 2021–2025, 84 courts-martial in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps charged Article 133 (conduct unbecoming). Of the cases with a plea recorded, 46% were contested, compared with 35% in all courts-martial in those years.
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Short answer: From 2021–2025, 84 courts-martial in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps charged Article 133 (conduct unbecoming). Of the cases with a plea recorded, 46% were contested, compared with 35% in all courts-martial in those years. Few contested Article 133 cases ended in a full acquittal: 5% in the Army and 0% in the Navy and Marine Corps.
Contested Cases and Full Acquittals
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Among cases with a plea recorded, the contested share was 52% in the Navy and Marine Corps, 43% in the Army, and 42% in the Air Force.
In the Army, 5% of the 19 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. In the Navy and Marine Corps, 0% of 13 did. Across all courts-martial in those years, 37% of contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.
Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals, so this page gives no Air Force acquittal rate for Article 133.
| Service | Contested share | Cases with a plea recorded | Full acquittal (contested, verdict reached) | Contested cases with a verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 43% | 44 | 5% | 19 |
| Air Force | 42% | 12 | — | — |
| Navy-Marine Corps | 52% | 25 | 0% | 13 |
Sentences by Service
The Air Force had 14 convictions, and 86% included confinement. The median confinement was 11 months, and 43% of convictions brought more than 1 year.
The Navy and Marine Corps had 25 convictions. Confinement was part of 44%, with a median of 7 months, and 8% brought more than 1 year.
The Army had 43 convictions. Confinement was part of 35%, with a median of 2 months, and 2% brought more than 1 year. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, as adjudged at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Service | Convictions | Included confinement | Median confinement | More than 1 year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 43 | 35% | 2 months | 2% |
| Air Force | 14 | 86% | 11 months | 43% |
| Navy-Marine Corps | 25 | 44% | 7 months | 8% |
Court Level and Discharge
General courts-martial heard 100% of the Air Force cases, 91% of the Army cases, and 65% of the Navy and Marine Corps cases. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Article 133 is an offense for officers. The enlisted discharge measures used on other pages do not apply. For officers, the equivalent of a punitive discharge is a dismissal, and these records do not report dismissal counts for Article 133.
| Service | Convicted enlisted members | Punitive discharge | General court-martial share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 0 | — | 91% |
| Air Force | 0 | — | 100% |
| Navy-Marine Corps | 0 | — | 65% |
Cases by Service
The Army tried 44 of the 84 cases, which was 2% of all Army courts-martial in those years. The Navy and Marine Corps tried 26 (1% of their cases), and the Air Force tried 14 (1%).
| Service | Cases charging Article 133 | Share of that service's cases |
|---|---|---|
| Army | 44 | 2% |
| Air Force | 14 | 1% |
| Navy-Marine Corps | 26 | 1% |
Year by Year
The records cover January 2021 through December 2025. There were 19 cases in 2021, 6 in 2022, 21 in 2023, 18 in 2024, and 20 in 2025.
The Army had its highest count in 2023, with 15 cases, and its lowest in 2022, with 1. The Navy and Marine Corps had 8 cases in 2021 and 7 in 2025. The Air Force had 6 cases in 2025, and no more than 3 in any earlier year.
| Year | Army | Air Force | Navy-Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | 1 | 8 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2023 | 15 | 3 | 3 |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 4 |
| 2025 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
Rank Records
Rank is recorded in all 44 Army cases and all 14 Air Force cases. In the Navy and Marine Corps, rank is recorded in 21 of the 26 cases.
| Service | Cases with rank | Junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) | NCOs (E-5 to E-9) | Officers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 44 | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| Air Force | 14 | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| Navy-Marine Corps | 21 | 0% | 0% | 100% |
Rules That Changed in December 2023
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters.
Both rules depend on the offense date, which the records do not give. Trials from 2024 on include cases under both the old and the new rules.
What the Records Cannot Show
Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. A case charging Article 133 can also include other charges, and the records do not show which charge drove a sentence.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial in all three service groups with trial dates in 2021–2025 that charged Article 133 (84 cases). Coast Guard cases are not included.
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
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- 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.