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A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2025

Fort Benning held 15 courts-martial in 2025, tried between February 2025 and December 2025. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 38% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 19% across the Army. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 8 months Army-wide.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read

Trends › By Installation › Fort Benning › 2025

Short answer: Fort Benning held 15 courts-martial in 2025, tried between February 2025 and December 2025. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 38% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 19% across the Army. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 8 months Army-wide.

Based on 15 cases · 2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Assault Charges

Charges are listed in 13 of the 15 records. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 5 of those cases (38%), compared with 19% for all Army cases in 2025. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 3 cases (23%), about the same as the 22% Army-wide.

Domestic violence under Article 128b appeared in 2 cases (15%), less often than the 26% across the Army. Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, appeared in 15%, compared with 8%.

UCMJ ArticleCasesShare hereShare, the Army as a whole
Art. 128 Assault538%19%
Art. 134 General article323%22%
Art. 128b Domestic violence215%26%
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault215%11%
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation215%8%
Art. 107 False official statements18%6%
Art. 111 Leaving scene of vehicle accident18%0%
Art. 87a Resistance, flight, breach of arrest18%1%

Officers in the 2025 Cases

Officers made up 13% of the accused, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 53%, and NCOs 33%. Across the Army, junior enlisted members were 50% of the accused.

The records show 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

Discharges for Enlisted Members

A punitive discharge followed 67% of enlisted convictions: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. Across the Army, the share was 73%.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Confinement

Of 14 convictions, 11 carried confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, shorter than the 8 months for the Army as a whole. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 1.2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

Pleas and Forum

The plea is listed in 13 of the 15 records. The accused pleaded guilty in 11 cases and contested 2, a contested share of 15%, compared with 20% in the rest of the Army. All 11 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Of the 2 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.

A military judge alone decided 11 cases, and enlisted panels heard 2. Members heard 15% of cases, the same as the 15% across the Army.

Court Level and Peer Installations

General courts-martial made up 11 of the 15 cases (73%). A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.

Fort Drum and Fort Stewart each tried 20 cases in 2025. Their median confinement was 5 months and 6 months, and their punitive discharge shares were 94% and 100%.

InstallationCasesContestedFull acquittals (decided contested)Median confinementPunitive discharge (enlisted)
Fort Benning1515%1 of 26 months67%
Fort Drum2015%2 of 25 months94%
Fort Stewart205%0 of 16 months100%

Rules and Limits

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not describe the evidence, the plea terms, or nonjudicial punishment.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at Fort Benning with a trial date in 2025 (15 cases).

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.

Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Benning, 2025

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.

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