Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona had 10 courts-martial in 2024–2026, and all 10 ended in a conviction. The median confinement was 50 days, compared with 6 months at the base in 2019–2023 and 6 months across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona › Before and after 2024
Short answer: Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona had 10 courts-martial in 2024–2026, and all 10 ended in a conviction. The median confinement was 50 days, compared with 6 months at the base in 2019–2023 and 6 months across the Air Force. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 59% to 40%, compared with 62% Air Force-wide.
A Median of 50 Days in Confinement
Confinement was part of 9 of the 10 sentences (90%). The figure for 2019–2023 was 86%. The later median was 50 days. Before 2024, the median at Davis-Monthan was 6 months, which is also the 2024–2026 median for the Air Force overall.
A quarter of the terms with confinement were 1.2 years or longer, so a few sentences were far longer than the median. All figures are the sentence announced at trial. Clemency, appeals, and any plea-agreement cap can change what is served.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 29 | 10 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 56% | 1 of 7 |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 9 | 0 of 1 |
| Convictions with confinement | 86% | 90% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 50 days |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 59% | 40% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 30% |
Fewer Punitive Discharges
There were 4 punitive discharges among the enlisted convictions: 2 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. That is 40% of enlisted convictions. Earlier, from 2019 to 2023, the base figure was 59%. Air Force-wide in 2024–2026 it was 62%. No officers were tried, so no dismissals appear.
Guilty Pleas, Judge-Alone Trials, and Special Courts-Martial
Pleas are listed in 7 records, and 1 of those 7 was contested, meaning a not-guilty or mixed plea. In 2019–2023, 56% of cases with a plea recorded were contested.
A military judge alone decided 9 cases. 1 enlisted panel heard the remaining case. Special courts-martial tried 7 cases and general courts-martial tried 3. The general court-martial share was 30%, lower than the 52% here in 2019–2023 and the 56% across the Air Force. A special court-martial limits confinement to one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Which Charges Appeared
Every one of the 10 records lists its charges. Drug use or possession (Article 112a) and the general article (Article 134) each appeared in 3 cases (30%). Across the Air Force those shares were 20% and 24%. 2 cases each involved Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle) and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation). Articles 128b, 90, 121, and 128 were each charged once.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 30% | 20% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 30% | 24% |
| Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 2 | 20% | 5% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 1 | 10% | 15% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 1 | 10% | 3% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 1 | 10% | 8% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 1 | 10% | 13% |
Rank of the Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) numbered 6 and NCOs (E-5 to E-9) numbered 4. Air Force-wide, 58% of the accused were junior enlisted, a similar mix.
Yearly Counts and Comparison Bases
From October 2024 to June 2026 the records list 1 case in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 4 so far in 2026. There were 29 cases in 2019–2023. On a full-year basis, the average fell from about 6 a year to about 3. A single case more or less moves each percentage here by a lot.
Ramstein AB, Germany (20 cases) and McConnell AFB, Kansas (21 cases) tried a similar number in these years. Median confinement there was 9 months and 3 months.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona | 10 | 1 of 7 | 0 of 1 | 50 days | 40% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
New Rules and Missing Details
The rules changed in 2 ways at the end of 2023. Special trial counsel now decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder (since December 28, 2023). New sentencing parameters apply, with the judge setting the sentence, when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. Because the records list trial dates only, they cannot separate old-rule and new-rule cases.
Evidence, plea terms, and cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are also outside these records.
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 2019–2023 (29) and 2024–2026 (10).
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
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- 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, 2024–2026
- Nathan Rick Allred
- Tiny L. Bowman
- Wesley A. Braun
- Ryan Daniel Brunson
- Nathan D. Royer
- Lauren MD Torczynski
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.