Article 128 Cases at Fort Campbell, 2020–2023: 46 Courts-Martial

Trends › By Installation › Fort Campbell › Article 128, 2020–2023

Based on 46 cases · 2020–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

7 of 14 Contested Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. At Fort Campbell, 14 assault cases were contested and reached a verdict, and 7 ended in a full acquittal (50%). Across Army Article 128 cases in the same years, the full-acquittal rate was 28%.

Another 6 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal, a finding of not guilty on at least one charge or specification and guilty on another. Army results list findings charge by charge, which is why partial acquittals are common in Army records.

Panels Heard 7 of the 14 Contested Cases

Among the 14 contested cases, members heard 7 (50%). Overall, a military judge alone decided guilt in 39 cases and enlisted panels in 7, with 0 officer panels. Members heard 15% of all the cases, compared with 26% in the rest of the Army.

The accused usually chooses whether a judge or a panel of members decides guilt. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the overall split mostly follows how many cases were contested.

Most Accused Pleaded Guilty, Usually Under an Agreement

Of the 46 accused, 32 pleaded guilty and 14 contested at least one charge. The 30% contested share was lower than the 40% in Army-wide Article 128 cases.

Of the 32 guilty pleas, 30 are recorded with a plea agreement, and 2 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed but not what it said, so any cap on confinement or discharge that an agreement set is not visible here.

Shorter Sentences Than Army-Wide

Of the 46 cases, 39 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 29 of those sentences included confinement (74%). The median confinement was 3 months, shorter than the 5 months across the Army. A quarter of the terms were 10 months or longer.

Long sentences were less common. Sentences over one year were imposed in 6 of 39 convictions (15%), compared with 25% Army-wide. Only 1 conviction (3%) carried 5 years or more, compared with 10%. More convictions carried no confinement: 26% compared with 18%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

Assault Usually Charged With Other Offenses

Article 128 was the only charge in 13 of the 46 cases. The most common other charge was Article 120 (sexual assault), in 16 cases, followed by Article 134 (general article) in 8, Article 107 (false official statement) in 7, Article 92 (orders violation) in 6, and Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 4.

When assault is charged alongside sexual assault or domestic violence, the assault count often describes part of the same incident. The outcomes on this page therefore reflect whole cases rather than the assault count by itself.

Discharges After Conviction

Of 38 convicted enlisted members, 30 received a punitive discharge: 23 bad-conduct and 7 dishonorable. Across the Army, the share was 70%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not cover.

Who Was Charged, and When

The accused were 32 junior enlisted members, 13 NCOs, and 1 officer, a more junior group than in Army-wide Article 128 cases.

Assault cases made up 46% of the 99 courts-martial at Fort Campbell in 2020–2023. The yearly count was 1 in 2020, 24 in 2021, 8 in 2022, and 13 in 2023. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021, so 2020 is thin. The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020.

Rules That Apply to Assault Cases

Article 128 assault is not itself a covered offense under the special trial counsel system that began on December 28, 2023, and every case here was tried before that date. A special trial counsel who takes a covered offense can also take related charges, such as an assault tied to a domestic violence allegation.

What These Records Do Not Show

The records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, offense dates, or conduct handled outside a court-martial through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025

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.