Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
At Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, sentences were more severe after 2019, and there were fewer cases. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 20% in 2016–2018 to 59% in 2019–2023, compared with 56% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona › Before and after 2019
Short answer: At Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, sentences were more severe after 2019, and there were fewer cases. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 20% in 2016–2018 to 59% in 2019–2023, compared with 56% across the Air Force. The median confinement rose from 3 months to 6 months, higher than the Air Force median of 4 months.
Punitive Discharges Became More Common
The largest change at Davis-Monthan was in punitive discharges. In 2016–2018, 20% of convicted enlisted members received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. In 2019–2023 the share was 59%, or 13 of 22: 10 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. Across all Air Force cases in the later years, the share was 56%.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 35 | 29 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 56% |
| Convictions with confinement | 77% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 20% | 59% |
| General courts-martial | 23% | 52% |
More General Courts-Martial
General courts-martial rose from 23% of cases in 2016–2018 to 52% in 2019–2023 (15 of 29). A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
In the later period, general courts-martial had a median confinement of 10 months, and 50% were contested. The 14 special courts-martial had a median of 4 months. 4 of the 6 special courts-martial with a recorded plea were contested. The records show that these changes happened in the same period. They do not show whether one caused another.
Longer Confinement Terms
Of the 29 cases in 2019–2023, 22 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. 19 of those sentences included confinement (86%), compared with 77% earlier. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 3 months in 2016–2018 and 4 months across the Air Force.
A quarter of the terms were 1.2 years or longer. Sentences longer than one year were part of 5 of 22 convictions (23%), the same share as in the rest of the Air Force. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 14% | 12% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 45% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 18% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 18% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 5% | 6% |
Drug Charges Were Common
Charges are listed in 22 of the 29 records. Article 112a, the controlled-substances article, was charged in 13 of them (59%), compared with 41% across the Air Force. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 23%, compared with 19%.
Some less common charges were also more frequent here. Article 86 (unauthorized absence) was charged in 14% of cases, compared with 5% service-wide. Article 87b (offenses against correctional custody) was charged in 9%, compared with 1%. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals, so these charge shares come mostly from cases that ended in a conviction.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 13 | 59% | 41% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 5 | 23% | 19% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 18% | 21% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 14% | 5% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 14% | 16% |
| Art. 87b Offenses against correctional custody | 2 | 9% | 1% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 9% | 11% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 9% | 4% |
Panels Heard Most Cases
Panels of members decided 62% of cases with a recorded forum: 11 enlisted panels and 7 officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 11. The accused usually chooses whether a judge or a panel decides guilt, and guilty pleas are usually heard by a judge alone.
Of the 16 records that list a plea, 9 were contested and 7 were guilty pleas. The contested share of 56% was higher than the 50% across the Air Force. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.
Full Acquittals Were the Same as Service-Wide
Of the 29 cases, 7 ended in a full acquittal (24%), the same rate as the Air Force as a whole. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so this rate is measured against all cases, not only contested cases.
Rank of the Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 69% of the accused, and NCOs made up 31%. No officers were tried. Across the Air Force, junior enlisted members were 64% of the accused.
Fewer Cases Each Year
Davis-Monthan tried 13 cases in 2019, 7 in 2020, and 3 in each of 2021, 2022, and 2023. That is about 6 a year, counting full years only, compared with about 12 a year in 2016–2018. In small groups a few cases can change these figures, so the changes on this page show direction, not precise measurements.
Compared With Similar Bases
Cannon AFB, New Mexico and Hurlburt Field, Florida each tried 29 cases in the same years. Both had higher contested shares: 84% and 79%. Cannon had a median confinement of 1.2 years and a punitive discharge rate of 69%. Hurlburt Field had a median confinement of 2 months and a punitive discharge rate of 39%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona | 29 | 56% | 5 of 9 | 6 months | 59% |
| Cannon AFB, New Mexico | 29 | 84% | 9 of 16 | 1.2 years | 69% |
| Hurlburt Field, Florida | 29 | 79% | 7 of 15 | 2 months | 39% |
What the Records Do Not Show
Only cases that went to a court-martial appear here. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Air Force records never report plea agreements, and they give trial dates, not offense dates.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona in 2016–2018 (35) and 2019–2023 (29).
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
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 35 Cases
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 29 Cases Show
- What Was Tried at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2024–2026? 10 Courts-Martial
- Article 112a Cases at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: 25 Courts-Martial
- Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023
- John C. Degnan
- Colin P. Eichenberger
- Tobin C. Griffeth
- Diana L. Johnson
- Mark W. Milam
- Richard D. Mink
- Andrew R. Norton
- Jennifer E. Powell
- Rebecca E. Schmidt
- Christopher M. Schumann
- Matthew P. Stoffel
- Brian Michael Thompson
- 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 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.