Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
Aviano AB, Italy tried 17 courts-martial from February 2019 through July 2023. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force and 3 months at Aviano in 2016–2018.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Aviano AB, Italy › 2019–2023
Short answer: Aviano AB, Italy tried 17 courts-martial from February 2019 through July 2023. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force and 3 months at Aviano in 2016–2018. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 43% of cases with charges listed, compared with 19% in the rest of the Air Force.
Median Confinement of 10 Months
Of the 17 cases, 14 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 13 of those sentences included confinement (93%). The median term was 10 months. Across the Air Force, the median was 4 months.
A quarter of the terms were 1 year or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
Longer Sentences and More Discharges Than in 2016–2018
In 2016–2018, Aviano tried 16 cases, about 5 a year. Since then it has averaged about 3 a year (full years only). The median confinement went from 3 months to 10 months.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 40% to 69%. General courts-martial went from 31% to 53% of cases. With groups this small, a few cases can move each figure, so the changes show direction, not precision.
| 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
Charges are listed for 14 of the 17 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 6 cases (43%), compared with 19% in the rest of the Air Force. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) appeared in 5 (36%), less often than the 41% Air Force-wide.
The table lists the rest: Article 134 (general article) in 4 cases, Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) in 3, and Article 107 (false official statements), Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), and Article 86 (AWOL) in 2 each. 1 case charged Article 128b (domestic violence).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 43% | 19% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 36% | 41% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 29% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 21% | 16% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 14% | 6% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 14% | 7% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 14% | 5% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 1 | 7% | 5% |
Punitive Discharges
Among 13 enlisted members convicted, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (69%). That is more often than the 56% across the Air Force. 3 of the 9 were dishonorable.
1 officer or warrant officer was convicted and was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Pleas and Full Acquittals
Among the 14 cases with a plea listed, 8 accused pleaded guilty and 6 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 43%, compared with 50% across the Air Force.
3 of the 17 cases ended in a full acquittal (18%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. That rate uses all cases as its base. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 of 6 ended in a full acquittal.
Most Cases Went to a Military Judge, Not Members
A military judge alone decided guilt in 13 of the 17 cases (76%). Members heard 4: 3 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, capped at six months of confinement with no punitive discharge.
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 10 junior enlisted members, 6 NCOs, and 1 officer. The group is more senior than Air Force-wide.
General courts-martial heard 9 of the 17 cases (53%), the same as the 53% across the Air Force. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Compared With Mildenhall and the Academy
RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 Air Force cases in the same years. Median confinement was 8 months at Mildenhall and 4 months at the Academy. The contested share was 50% at Mildenhall and 75% at the Academy, compared with 43% at Aviano.
The enlisted punitive discharge share was 73% at 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% |
Timing
There were 3 trials in 2019, 4 each in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and 2 in 2023. The 17 cases were 1% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years.
What the Records Do Not Show
Offense dates are not in the records, which give only trial dates. The evidence and the plea terms are not described. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations fall outside these records, and Air Force records never report plea agreements and rarely list charges in full acquittals.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Aviano AB, Italy with a trial date in 2019–2023 (17 cases), compared with all 1,361 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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
- Aviano AB, Italy: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show (another period)
- Inside 14 Courts-Martial at Aviano AB, Italy, 2024–2026 (another period)
- Moody AFB, Georgia Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 17 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Sheppard AFB, Texas Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 17 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023
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 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.