Dyess AFB, Texas Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 21 Cases Show
Dyess AFB, Texas had 21 courts-martial from 2016–2018. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 76% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 48% across the Air Force. A punitive discharge followed 41% of enlisted convictions, compared with 55% in the Air Force as a whole.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Dyess AFB, Texas › 2016–2018
Short answer: Dyess AFB, Texas had 21 courts-martial from 2016–2018. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 76% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 48% across the Air Force. A punitive discharge followed 41% of enlisted convictions, compared with 55% in the Air Force as a whole.
Drug Charges Were the Most Common
Charges are listed in 17 of the 21 records. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 13 of those 17 cases (76%). In all Air Force cases in those years, the share was 48%.
Other articles appeared less often here than across the Air Force. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 12% of cases, compared with 25%. Article 92 (orders violation) was charged in 6%, compared with 16%. One case can include several articles.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 13 | 76% | 48% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 12% | 25% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 1 | 6% | 16% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 6% | 9% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 6% | 10% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 6% | 7% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 1 | 6% | 4% |
| Art. 111 Drunken or reckless driving | 1 | 6% | 4% |
Fewer Punitive Discharges
Of the 17 convicted enlisted members, 7 received a punitive discharge: 4 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. That is 41%, compared with 55% in the Air Force as a whole.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Short Confinement Terms
Of the 17 convictions, 15 included confinement. The median confinement was 3 months. In the rest of the Air Force, the median was 4 months. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 5 months or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
More Special Courts-Martial
Only 5 of the 21 cases were general courts-martial (24%). In the rest of the Air Force, the general court-martial share was 47%. The other cases at Dyess AFB were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
By rank, 14 of the accused were junior enlisted members and 7 were NCOs. No officers appear. The group was more junior than the Air Force as a whole.
Full Acquittals
In 4 of the 21 cases, the accused was acquitted of all charges (19%). Across all Air Force cases in those years, the share was 20%.
Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty. For that reason, this rate counts acquittals against all cases, not against contested cases only.
Military Judge or Panel?
A military judge alone decided 13 cases. An enlisted panel decided 2, and an officer panel decided 6. Members decided 38% of the cases, compared with 45% in the Air Force as a whole. The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.
Travis AFB and Hill AFB
Travis AFB, California tried 21 cases in the same years, and Hill AFB, Utah tried 20. The median confinement was 45 days at Travis AFB and 6 months at Hill AFB. Punitive discharges followed 36% of enlisted convictions at Travis AFB and 53% at Hill AFB.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyess AFB, Texas | 21 | — | — | 3 months | 41% |
| Travis AFB, California | 21 | — | — | 45 days | 36% |
| Hill AFB, Utah | 20 | — | — | 6 months | 53% |
Timing and Later Rules
The trials ran from February 2016 through October 2018: 4 in 2016, 6 in 2017, and 11 in 2018. They were 2% of the 991 Air Force courts-martial in those years.
All of these trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. Its fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements did not apply here.
What the Records Do Not Show
Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and do not report plea agreements. The records also do not describe the evidence, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases with no action.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Dyess AFB, Texas with a trial date in 2016–2018 (21 cases), compared with all 991 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
- Dyess AFB, Texas: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Dyess AFB, Texas Courts-Martial, 2019–2022: What 36 Cases Show (another period)
- Travis AFB, California Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 21 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Inside 20 Courts-Martial at Hill AFB, Utah, 2016–2018 (same years, similar size)
- Did Drug Cases at Dyess AFB, Texas Change After 2019?
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Dyess AFB, Texas, 2016–2018
- Jefferson B. Brown
- James R. Dorman
- Donald R. Eller Jr.
- Christina M. Jimenez
- Joshua Kastenberg
- Mark W. Milam
- Joe W. Moore
- Bradley A. Morris
- Shelly W. Schools
- Vance H. Spath
- Matthew D. Talcott
- Brian D. Teter
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.