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# Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-navy/
- Published: 2026-11-03T01:39:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:39:24.000Z
- Description: The Navy had 29 convictions for aggravated assault under Article 128 with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Of those, 79% included confinement, which is the lowest share among the services, and the median confinement was 12 months. In federal court, 97% of the 4,493 people sentenced under guideline §2A
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Aggravated Assault](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-article-128/) › Aggravated Assault: Navy

**In brief:** The Navy had 29 convictions for aggravated assault under Article 128 with trial dates from 2016 to 2025\. Of those, 79% included confinement, which is the lowest share among the services, and the median confinement was 12 months. In federal court, 97% of the 4,493 people sentenced under guideline §2A2.2 received a prison term, with a median of 40 months.

Updated November 2, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 · Military Trial Results

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 4,493 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Navy Sentences Are Based on a Small Number of Cases

The Navy count is the smallest in the services table: 29 convictions. Of those, 23 had a sentence recorded that included confinement (79%).

The median adjudged confinement was 12 months, and a quarter of the sentences were 36 months or more. With 23 sentences to confinement, a few long sentences can move these figures.

|                                    | Navy courts-martial                 | Federal court, FY2016–FY2025 |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Convictions or people sentenced    | 29                                  | 4,493                        |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 79%                                 | 97%                          |
| Median confinement or prison       | 12 months                           | 40 months                    |
| A quarter received this or more    | 36 months                           | 63 months                    |
| Pleaded guilty                     | 16 of 29 with a plea recorded (55%) | 93%                          |
| Mandatory minimum applied          | See the caveats                     | 6%                           |

## Navy Results by Period

For trials in 2016 to 2019, the median confinement was 95.9 months, but it rests on only 3 cases with confinement. For trials in 2020 to 2025 it was 11 months, based on 20 cases.

The first figure should not be read as a trend. A group of 3 cases is too few to describe a period.

## Pleas, Discharges, and Level of Court

A plea is recorded for all 29 convictions. Of those, 16 (55%) were guilty pleas. After a guilty plea the median confinement was 7 months, based on 13 cases. In contested cases that ended in a conviction it was 27 months, based on 10 cases.

Of the 28 enlisted members convicted, 17 received a punitive discharge (61%): 7 dishonorable discharges and 10 bad-conduct discharges. One officer was convicted and was dismissed.

A general court-martial heard 18 of the 29 convictions (62%).

## What Federal Court Shows for the Same Guideline

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 4,493 people sentenced under guideline §2A2.2 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of those, 4,340 (97%) received a prison term, and 120 (3%) received probation only.

The median federal prison term was 40 months, which is 3.3 years. A quarter received 63 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. These federal terms are higher than the Navy medians given above.

Guilty pleas were 93% of the federal group, compared with 55% of the Navy convictions with a plea recorded.

## Plea and Trial Sentences in Federal Court

In federal court, 4,200 people pleaded guilty and 293 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 37 months after a plea and 78 months after a trial.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 264 people (6%). Among those with guideline information, 44% were sentenced within the range, 22% below it at the government's request, 23% below it without that request, and 11% above it.

## How the Navy Compares With the Other Services

The table lists every service for the same offense. The Navy has the lowest share of convictions with confinement, 79%, and the lowest punitive discharge share among enlisted members, 61%.

The Navy median of 12 months is lower than the Air Force median of 13.8 months and higher than the Army median of 8 months and the Marine Corps median of 9 months.

| Service      | Convictions, 2016–2025 | With confinement | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | Guilty pleas (where recorded) |
| ------------ | ---------------------- | ---------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Army         | 59                     | 90%              | 8 months           | 72%                           | 69%                           |
| Air Force    | 81                     | 95%              | 13.8 months        | 80%                           | 50%                           |
| Navy         | 29                     | 79%              | 12 months          | 61%                           | 55%                           |
| Marine Corps | 45                     | 93%              | 9 months           | 82%                           | 74%                           |

## What the Records Cannot Show

Court-martial sentences are as adjudged at trial, before any clemency or appeal. Federal prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

The Navy and federal groups are not matched on the facts of each case, and court-martial records have no criminal history field. The records cannot show why a case was sentenced as it was, or how a Navy case would have been sentenced in federal court.

### How We Counted

Navy courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 ending in a conviction for aggravated assault (Article 128) (29). Federal: 4,493 people sentenced under guideline §2A2.2 (aggravated assault), fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (U.S. Sentencing Commission).

Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.

### What to Keep in Mind

**Who is in each set of numbers.** The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.

**Different cases reach each system.** Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts.

**Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.

**Offense categories do not line up exactly.** Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match.

**No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.

**Military confinement credit and parole.** For military sentences adjudged after 2004, good conduct time is 5 days for each month of confinement, about 16%. Military prisoners can also earn up to 8 more days a month for work and programs and up to 2 days a month for special acts, with a limit of 15 days a month in total. Military prisoners can be considered for parole by their service's clemency and parole board. The military numbers in this post are the confinement adjudged at trial, not the time served.

**Military sentences include punishments federal sentences do not.** A court-martial sentence can include a punitive discharge (bad-conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, or dismissal for officers), reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay. These have no federal counterpart. A comparison of months of confinement leaves them out. A short confinement term combined with a dishonorable discharge is a heavier sentence than the months alone show.

**Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.

**Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.

**How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-article-128/) (overview)
- [Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-air-force/)
- [Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-army/)
- [Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-marine-corps/)
- [Aggravated Assault Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-2023-sentencing-reform-so-far/)
- [Aggravated Assault Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-acquittal-rate-vs-army/)
- [Aggravated Assault Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-acquittal-rate-vs-courts-martial/)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Assault Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-sent-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases: What Happened at Trial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-acq-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Assault Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-plea-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-128-courts-martial/) (court-martial data)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 128 UCMJ: Assault, Aggravated Assault, and Strangulation](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)

**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.