Inside 23 Courts-Martial at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2019–2023

Trends › By Installation › Barksdale AFB, Louisiana › 2019–2023

Based on 23 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Drug Offenses Were the Most Common Charge

Charges are listed in 18 of the 23 records. A case with several articles is counted under each one. Article 112a, which covers wrongful use or possession of controlled substances, was charged in 10 cases, or 56%, compared with 41% across the Air Force.

Some less common charges also appear. Article 118 (murder) was charged in 2 cases (11%), compared with 0% across the Air Force. Article 130 (housebreaking before 2019, stalking since) was charged in 1 case (6%), compared with 1%. Other articles, including Article 134, Article 128, and Article 120, were charged at about the same rates as in the rest of the service.

A Short Median Confinement, Some Long Terms

Of the 23 cases, 18 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 17 of those sentences (94%). The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force.

A quarter of the sentences were 2.2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, so a single sentence can cover several offenses.

Fewer Contested Cases Than in the Air Force Overall

The plea is listed in 20 of the 23 records: 12 guilty pleas and 8 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share here, 40%, is lower than the 50% across the Air Force.

Air Force records never report plea agreements. So the records do not show whether any of the 12 guilty pleas came with a plea agreement.

How Often Did Cases End in a Full Acquittal?

Of the 23 cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal (22%). Across the Air Force, the rate was 24%.

That rate is measured against all cases, not only contested cases. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty, so a rate based only on contested cases would use incomplete data. Air Force records also rarely list the charges in full acquittals. So the charge shares above mostly describe cases that ended in a conviction.

Punitive Discharges at the Air Force Rate

A punitive discharge followed 56% of enlisted convictions: 4 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges. The rate in the rest of the Air Force was also 56%.

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Who Was Tried, and Who Decided?

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 74% of the accused, compared with 64% across the Air Force. NCOs made up 26%, and there were no officers. Barksdale had 9 general and 14 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share, 39%, compares with 53% Air Force-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, capped at 6 months with no punitive discharge.

A military judge alone decided 14 cases, enlisted panels decided 4, and officer panels decided 5. Members heard 39% of cases, about the same as the 38% across the Air Force. The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel decides guilt.

Earlier Years and Similar Bases

In 2016–2018, Barksdale had 27 cases, about 9 a year. Since 2019, it has had about 5 a year, counting full years only. There were 2, 4, 9, 5, and 3 cases in 2019 through 2023. That is 2% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years. The median confinement was 4 months in the earlier period and 2 months in the later one. Convictions with confinement were 81% and then 94%. Enlisted punitive discharges were 53% and then 56%.

Kadena AB, Japan and RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom each tried 23 cases in the same years. Both had higher contested shares, 67% and 87%. Both had longer median confinement, 1 year and 9 months. Both had higher enlisted discharge shares, 86% and 75%.

Side-by-Side Figures

Of decided contested cases, 4 of 8 ended in a full acquittal at Barksdale, 7 of 12 at Kadena, and 5 of 12 at Lakenheath. In groups this small, a few verdicts can change the rates by a large amount.

What Is Not in These Records

Only cases that reached a courtroom are included. Matters resolved through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.