> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2019/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:06:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:05.000Z - Description: Sentences at Aviano AB, Italy were longer in 2019–2023 than in 2016–2018. The median confinement went from 3 months to 10 months, compared with 4 months Air Force-wide, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 40% to 69%. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Aviano AB, Italy, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Aviano AB, Italy](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-aviano-ab-italy/) › Before and after 2019 **Short answer:** Sentences at Aviano AB, Italy were longer in 2019–2023 than in 2016–2018\. The median confinement went from 3 months to 10 months, compared with 4 months Air Force-wide, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 40% to 69%. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 43% of the later cases, compared with 19% across the Air Force. Based on 17 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Longer Confinement Than Before 2019 Of the 17 cases tried at Aviano from 2019 to 2023, 14 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 13 of those 14 sentences (93%). In 2016–2018, 100% of convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 10 months in 2019–2023\. It was 3 months in 2016–2018\. Across the Air Force in the later years, the median was 4 months. Among the later sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 1 year or longer. These are adjudged sentences: the sentence announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case, not a single offense. | | 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | | ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 16 | 17 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 43% | | Convictions with confinement | 100% | 93% | | Median confinement | 3 months | 10 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 40% | 69% | | General courts-martial | 31% | 53% | ## Assault Charged More Often Than Air Force-Wide The charges are listed for 14 of the 17 cases. Each article counts once per case, so a case with 2 articles appears under both. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 6 cases (43%). Across the Air Force, the share was 19%. Article 112a, the drug article, was next, in 5 cases (36%), lower than the 41% Air Force-wide. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 4 cases (29%), compared with 21% service-wide. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was charged in 3 cases. Article 107 (false official statements), Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), and Article 86 (AWOL) each appeared in 2\. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 1. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------- | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 6 | 43% | 19% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 36% | 41% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 4 | 29% | 21% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 21% | 16% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 2 | 14% | 6% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 14% | 7% | | [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL | 2 | 14% | 5% | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 1 | 7% | 5% | ## More Punitive Discharges Of 13 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (69%). Across the Air Force, the share was 56%. At Aviano in 2016–2018, it was 40%. Of the 9 punitive discharges, 3 were dishonorable discharges. 1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in the records, and that officer was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Guilty Pleas and Acquittals Of the 14 records that list a plea, 8 were guilty pleas and 6 were contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 43%, lower than the 50% across the Air Force. Of the 17 cases, 3 ended in a full acquittal (18%), compared with 24% Air Force-wide. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty, so this rate is measured against all cases. Among the contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 of 6 ended in a full acquittal. ## A Higher Share of General Courts-Martial General courts-martial heard 9 of the 17 cases, and special courts-martial heard 8\. The general court-martial share was 53%, the same as across the Air Force and higher than the 31% at Aviano in 2016–2018\. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year. ## Rank and Forum The accused were 10 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 6 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. Across the Air Force, 64% of the accused were junior enlisted, so the Aviano group was more senior. Members decided guilt in 24% of cases with the forum listed: 3 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided the other 13\. The accused usually chooses between a judge alone and a panel. ## Case Counts and Similar Bases The records show 17 cases from February 2019 to July 2023: 3 in 2019, 4 in each of 2020, 2021, and 2022, and 2 in 2023\. In 2016–2018 there were 16 cases. Counting full years only, that is about 5 a year before 2019 and about 3 a year after. Small groups change by large percentages when a few cases differ. RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases in the same years. Their median confinement was 8 months and 4 months, both shorter than at Aviano. The punitive discharge rate was 73% at RAF Mildenhall and 7% at the Academy. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ------------------------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Aviano AB, Italy | 17 | 43% | 3 of 6 | 10 months | 69% | | RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20 | 50% | 1 of 7 | 8 months | 73% | | USAF Academy, Colorado | 20 | 75% | 3 of 9 | 4 months | 7% | ## What the Records Do Not Show The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, offense dates, or misconduct handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every court-martial tried at Aviano AB, Italy in 2016–2018 (16) and 2019–2023 (17). Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Aviano AB, Italy: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-aviano-ab-italy/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2016-2018/) - [Inside 14 Courts-Martial at Aviano AB, Italy, 2024–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2024/) - [Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-before-after-2019/) - [Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-before-after-2019/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 - [Willie J. Babor](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-willie-j-babor/) - [Mark W. Milam](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-w-milam/) - [Sterling C. Pendleton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-sterling-c-pendleton/) - [Lance R. Smith](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-lance-r-smith/) - [Charles E. Wiedie Jr.](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-charles-e-wiedie-jr/) Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the [Court-Martial Characters](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) membership. **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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.