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# What Changed at Eglin AFB, Florida After 2019? 12 Cases vs. 16
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/eglin-afb-florida-before-after-2019/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:06:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:07.000Z
- Description: Drug charges and long sentences marked the 16 courts-martial at Eglin AFB, Florida in 2019–2023. Article 112a was charged in 50% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 41% Air Force-wide.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Eglin AFB, Florida, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Eglin AFB, Florida](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-eglin-afb-florida/) › Before and after 2019

**Short answer:** Drug charges and long sentences marked the 16 courts-martial at Eglin AFB, Florida in 2019–2023\. Article 112a was charged in 50% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 41% Air Force-wide. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force, and 71% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.

Based on 16 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Drug Charges in 7 of 14 Listed Cases

Charges appear in 14 of the 16 Eglin records. Article 112a, which covers wrongful use and possession of controlled substances, appeared in 7 of those 14 (50%). The Air Force share was 41%.

Article 128 (assault) came next with 4 cases (29%), compared with 19% service-wide. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) each appeared in 3 cases (21%). The Article 120b share was higher than the 7% Air Force-wide.

Article 134, the general article, appeared in only 1 case (7%), lower than the 21% across the Air Force. Article 116 (riot or breach of peace) and Article 121 (larceny) also appeared once each. A case with several articles is counted under each one.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7     | 50%        | 41%                   |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 4     | 29%        | 19%                   |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 3     | 21%        | 16%                   |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 3     | 21%        | 7%                    |
| Art. 116 Riot or breach of peace                                                                                                                   | 1     | 7%         | 0%                    |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                   | 1     | 7%         | 4%                    |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 1     | 7%         | 21%                   |

## Confinement Above the Air Force Median

Of 14 convictions, 13 included confinement (93%), compared with 90% at Eglin in 2016–2018\. The median term was 8 months. The Air Force median in the same years was 4 months. Eglin's median in 2016–2018 was 1 year.

A quarter of the terms were 1.8 years or longer. The figures are adjudged sentences, the sentence announced at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal can later reduce them, and each sentence covers all charges in a case.

|                               | 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 |
| ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                         | 12        | 16        |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | —         | 1 of 9    |
| Convictions with confinement  | 90%       | 93%       |
| Median confinement            | 1 year    | 8 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 100%      | 71%       |
| General courts-martial        | 75%       | 50%       |

## Punitive Discharges Still Common

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. It is part of the court-martial sentence, not an administrative action.

Among 14 convicted enlisted members, 10 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (71%). Of those 10, 4 were dishonorable discharges. The Air Force share was 56%.

Every convicted enlisted member at Eglin in 2016–2018 received a punitive discharge (100%). With 12 earlier cases and 16 later ones, a change of a few cases moves these percentages by a wide margin. Where no punitive discharge was adjudged, an administrative separation could still follow.

## Few Full Acquittals and Few Contested Pleas

Of the 16 cases, 2 ended in a full acquittal (12%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. Because Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 seldom list guilty pleas, this rate uses all cases as the base rather than contested cases only.

Pleas are listed in 9 records, and only 1 of the 9 was contested. A contested case has a plea of not guilty to at least one charge.

## Mostly Judge-Alone Trials

A military judge alone decided 13 cases. Enlisted panels decided 2, and an officer panel decided 1\. Members heard 19% of the cases, compared with 38% across the Air Force. The accused generally makes the choice between a judge and a panel.

## A Junior Group of Accused

By rank, the accused were 12 junior enlisted members, 3 NCOs, and 1 officer. The Eglin group was more junior than the Air Force as a whole.

General courts-martial heard 8 of the 16 cases (50%). That share was 75% at Eglin in 2016–2018 and 53% across the Air Force in 2019–2023\. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge, and a special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement.

Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone. That form caps confinement at six months and allows no punitive discharge.

## Cases by Year and Similar Bases

Trials ran from March 2019 through October 2023: 7 in 2019, 2 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 4 in 2022, and 1 in 2023\. Eglin had 12 cases in 2016–2018\. Counting full years only, that is about 4 a year before 2019 and about 3 a year since.

RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases in these years. RAF Mildenhall had the same 8 months median confinement as Eglin and a 73% punitive discharge rate. The Academy had a 4 months median and a 7% rate. Both comparison bases had more contested cases: 50% at RAF Mildenhall and 75% at the Academy.

| Installation                   | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ------------------------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Eglin AFB, Florida             | 16    | 1 of 9    | 0 of 1                              | 8 months           | 71%                           |
| RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20    | 50%       | 1 of 7                              | 8 months           | 73%                           |
| USAF Academy, Colorado         | 20    | 75%       | 3 of 9                              | 4 months           | 7%                            |

## Gaps in the Records

Offense dates, the evidence, and the plea terms are not in these records. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included. Air Force records rarely list the charges in full acquittals, and they never report plea agreements.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at Eglin AFB, Florida in 2016–2018 (12) and 2019–2023 (16).

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Eglin AFB, Florida: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-eglin-afb-florida/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Eglin AFB, Florida Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 17 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/eglin-afb-florida-courts-martial-2024-2026/)
- [What Was Tried at Eglin AFB, Florida, 2019–2023? 16 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/eglin-afb-florida-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Eglin AFB, Florida Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 12 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/eglin-afb-florida-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [What Changed at Eglin AFB, Florida After 2024? 16 Cases vs. 17](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/eglin-afb-florida-before-after-2024/)
- [Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-before-after-2019/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2019/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2024/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Eglin AFB, Florida, 2019–2023

- [Wesley A. Braun](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-wesley-a-braun/)
- [W. Shane Cohen](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-w-shane-cohen/)
- [Matthew N. McCall](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-n-mccall/)
- [Mark W. Milam](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-w-milam/)
- [Andrew R. Norton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrew-r-norton/)
- [Joshua D. Rosen](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-joshua-d-rosen/)
- [Michael A. Schrama](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-michael-a-schrama/)
- [Shaun S. Speranza](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-shaun-s-speranza/)
- [Charles G. Warren](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-charles-g-warren/)
- [Pilar G. Wennrich](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-pilar-g-wennrich/)

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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.