What Fort Bragg Tried in 2023
In 2023, Article 134 (general article) was charged in 45% of Fort Bragg's 33 courts-martial, compared with 24% in the rest of the Army. Only 2 of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (18%), compared with 39% Army-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › By Installation › Fort Bragg › 2023
Short answer: In 2023, Article 134 (general article) was charged in 45% of Fort Bragg's 33 courts-martial, compared with 24% in the rest of the Army. Only 2 of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (18%), compared with 39% Army-wide. Of convicted enlisted members, 86% received a punitive discharge.
The General Article Was the Most Common Charge
Charges are listed for all 33 cases, and a case can appear under several articles. Article 134 (general article), which covers a range of conduct not named elsewhere in the code, was charged in 15 cases. That 45% share is higher than the 24% across the rest of the Army.
Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 27% of cases, compared with 21%. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 24%, compared with 21%. Article 128 (assault) was less common, in 18% of cases compared with 26%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Army |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 15 | 45% | 24% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 9 | 27% | 21% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 24% | 21% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 18% | 26% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 12% | 11% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 9% | 8% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 9% | 5% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 6% | 3% |
Few Contested Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal
The data can show how contested cases ended, though not why. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal (18%), compared with 39% Army-wide.
Partial acquittals were more common: 7 cases ended in a partial acquittal, meaning the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, which makes partial acquittals visible.
Changes Since 2022
The number of cases fell from 51 in 2022 to 33 in 2023. Full acquittals fell from 7 of 19 contested cases that reached a verdict to 2 of 11. The contested share fell from 37% to 33%.
The share of convictions with confinement fell from 89% to 77%. The median confinement increased from 6 months to 7 months. The enlisted punitive discharge share increased from 80% to 86%. The general court-martial share was about the same, at 86% and 85%. These numbers are small, and a few cases can change any of these figures.
| 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 51 | 33 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 37% | 33% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 7 of 19 | 2 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 89% | 77% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 80% | 86% |
| General courts-martial | 86% | 85% |
Results Charge by Charge
Article 128b (domestic violence) charges had the highest conviction rate on that article: 7 of 8 cases. The median confinement for those convictions was 2 months. Article 134 produced convictions in 13 of 15 cases (87%), with a median of 9 months.
Article 120 (sexual assault) charges led to a conviction on that article in 5 of 9 cases, the lowest rate among the top charges. Those convictions carried a median of 1.9 years. These rows overlap, since one case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 15 | 13 (87%) | 9 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 9 | 5 (5 of 9) | 1.9 years |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 7 (7 of 8) | 2 months |
Every Guilty Plea Came With an Agreement
Of the 33 cases, 22 ended in guilty pleas and 11 were contested, a contested share of 33% compared with 31% across the Army. All 22 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records say only that an agreement existed, not what it said.
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 28 of 33 cases (85%). Members heard 5, with 4 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel, and all of those were contested cases (5 of 11, or 45%).
Sentences After Conviction
Of the 31 convictions, 77% included confinement. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with a 6-month median in the rest of the Army. A quarter of sentences were 1.9 years or longer. Convictions with no confinement made up 23%, higher than the 16% in the rest of the Army.
Sentences of more than one year were imposed in 8 of 31 convictions (26%), compared with 28%. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Army |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 7 | 23% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 29% | 39% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 23% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 16% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 10% | 8% |
Rank, Court Level, and Discharges
The accused were 16 junior enlisted soldiers (E-1 to E-4), 14 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 3 officers or warrant officers. That mix is more senior than the Army as a whole, where 56% were junior enlisted.
General courts-martial made up 28 of the 33 cases (85%), compared with 76% in the rest of the Army. A general court-martial can adjudge any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Of 28 convicted enlisted members, 24 received a punitive discharge: 18 bad-conduct and 6 dishonorable. The Army-wide share was 74%. Of 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Fort Bliss
Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 36 cases, and 22% were contested. It recorded 2 full acquittals in 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, a median confinement of 1 year, and a 74% enlisted punitive discharge share. Fort Bliss tried 29 cases, and 28% were contested. It recorded 4 full acquittals in 8, a median of 4 months, and a 79% punitive discharge share.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Bragg | 33 | 33% | 2 of 11 | 7 months | 86% |
| Joint Base Lewis-McChord | 36 | 22% | 2 of 8 | 1 year | 74% |
| Fort Bliss | 29 | 28% | 4 of 8 | 4 months | 79% |
Outside the Records
Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. The evidence, the plea terms, offense dates, and conduct handled outside a court-martial are not part of them.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Fort Bragg with a trial date in 2023 (33 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.
Related Analysis
- Fort Bragg: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- What Fort Bragg Tried in 2022 (previous / next)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg: 2024 (previous / next)
- Fort Bragg Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 143 Cases Show (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2024
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2025
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2022
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2023
- S1 H6: Shady Sh*t Going Down at Fort Liberty (podcast, members)
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Bragg, 2023
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.