What Was Tried at Fort Lee, 2024–2026? 27 Courts-Martial

Trends › By Installation › Fort Lee › 2024–2026

Based on 27 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

NCOs and Officers Among the Accused

NCOs made up 44% of the accused at Fort Lee, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 37%, and officers 19%. Across the Army, junior enlisted members were 53% of the accused.

Of 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, made up 74% of cases (20 of 27). The rest were special courts-martial.

Most Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea

Of the 27 cases, 24 ended in a guilty plea and 3 had a not-guilty or mixed plea. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share here was 11%, lower than 21% across the Army.

Of the 24 guilty pleas, 22 are recorded with a plea agreement and 2 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it said.

Who Decided Guilt?

A military judge alone decided 24 cases. Members heard the other 3 (11% of cases with the forum listed): 2 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. The accused usually chooses between a judge and a panel. Judge-alone cases are mostly guilty pleas, so the split follows the low contested share.

All 3 contested cases that reached a verdict in 2024–2026 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge. A group of 3 verdicts is too small to read as a rate.

Shorter Sentences Than Army-Wide

55% of the 22 convictions included confinement. The median was 3 months, compared with 6 months across the Army. A quarter of those sentences were 7 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

45% of convictions included no confinement, compared with 15% in the rest of the Army. Only 2 of 22 convictions (9%) included more than one year, compared with 30% Army-wide. None included 5 years or more. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.

Punitive Discharges After Conviction

61% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge: 9 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. The rate in all Army cases was 73%.

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.

Assault, Domestic Violence, and False Statements

Charges are listed in 25 of the 27 records. One case can appear under several articles. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 24% of cases, compared with 20% across the Army. Article 128b (domestic violence) was next, in 20%, lower than the Army's 25%.

Article 107 (false official statements) and Article 121 (larceny) were each charged in 12% of cases, compared with 5% and 7% Army-wide. Article 134 (general article) was also charged in 12%, lower than 21% across the Army.

What Changed After 2020–2023?

In 2020–2023, Fort Lee had 17 cases, about 4 a year. Since 2024 it has had about 8 a year, counting full years only. There were 3 cases in 2024, 12 in 2025, and 12 in 2026, a partial year. Together they are 2% of the 1,252 Army courts-martial in those years.

The contested share went from 41% to 11%. Convictions with confinement went from 90% to 55%. Other measures were about the same. Median confinement was 3 months in both periods. Enlisted punitive discharges went from 60% to 61%, and general courts-martial from 71% to 74%. Small groups change with a few cases, so these are directions, not precise measures.

Fort Lee Next to Fort Polk and Fort Wainwright

Fort Polk and Fort Wainwright each tried 25 cases in the same years. Fort Polk's contested share was 12%, about the same as Fort Lee's. Fort Wainwright's was 24%. Median confinement was 3 months here, 6 months at Fort Polk, and 4 months at Fort Wainwright. Enlisted punitive discharge rates were 61%, 64%, and 59%.

Rule Changes and Missing Context

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on offense dates, which the records do not give. These trials include cases under both the old and new rules.

The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences, but not 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.