A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Campbell: 2025

Trends › By Installation › Fort Campbell › 2025

Based on 31 cases · 2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Convictions Carried More Than a Year

Of 31 cases, 28 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 26 of those sentences included confinement (93%). The median confinement was 1.4 years. A quarter of sentences were 2 years or longer.

Sentences of more than 1 year but under 5 years were the largest group: 14 convictions (50%), compared with 18% across the Army. In total, 15 of 28 convictions (54%) carried more than one year, compared with 30%. Sentences under 6 months were 14% of convictions, compared with 36% Army-wide. Only 2 convictions carried no confinement.

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.

Mostly General Courts-Martial

General courts-martial made up 87% of cases (27 of 31). A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The few special courts-martial cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

From 8 Months to 1.4 Years

In 2024, Fort Campbell tried 27 cases with a median confinement of 8 months. In 2025, there were 31 cases, and the median was 1.4 years. The share of convictions with confinement increased from 88% to 93%. The general court-martial share increased from 81% to 87%.

Other measures changed little. The contested share went from 15% to 13%. Full acquittals were 2 of 4 contested cases that reached a verdict in both years. The enlisted punitive discharge share went from 91% to 93%. These groups are small, so a few cases can change these figures.

Discharges, Mostly Bad-Conduct

Among 27 convicted enlisted members, 25 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (93%), compared with 73% in the Army as a whole. Only 1 of those was dishonorable. The rest were bad-conduct discharges.

The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer in the records was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Junior Enlisted Members Were Most of the Accused

Junior enlisted soldiers (E-1 to E-4) accounted for 84% of the accused, NCOs 10%, and officers 6%. Across all Army cases that year, junior enlisted were 50%.

Disobedience and Assault Charges

Charges are listed in 30 of the 31 records, and each article counts once per case. Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) was charged in 17% of cases, compared with 6% across the Army. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 27% of cases compared with 19%.

Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 23%, slightly lower than the Army's 26%. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 20%, compared with 22%. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 13% of cases and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) in 10%.

Guilty Pleas and the Forum

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Here, 27 accused pleaded guilty and 4 contested, a contested share of 13%, compared with 20% across the Army. Of the 4 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. Plea agreements are recorded for 26 of the 27 guilty pleas, and 1 has no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members heard 10% of cases with the forum listed, 1 on an enlisted panel and 2 on officer panels, and a judge alone heard the other 28.

Fort Bragg and Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Fort Bragg tried 29 cases with a 28% contested share. It had 4 full acquittals in 8 contested cases that reached a verdict and a median confinement of 8 months. Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 28 cases with an 11% contested share. It had 1 full acquittal in 3 and a median of 1 year. Both had enlisted punitive discharge shares of 70%, lower than Fort Campbell's 93%.

Rule Changes and Record Gaps

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel instead of commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. If every guilty finding in a case covers an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. These records do not give offense dates, so 2025 trials include cases under both the old and the new rules. The data cannot show whether the changes affected sentence lengths.

The 2025 records here run from January through November. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

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

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.