What Changed at Goodfellow AFB, Texas After 2019? 11 Cases vs. 18
At Goodfellow AFB, Texas, 7 of the 18 courts-martial in 2019–2023 ended in a full acquittal (39%), compared with 24% in the rest of the Air Force. Of the 12 records that list a plea, 67% were contested, compared with 50% in the rest of the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Goodfellow AFB, Texas › Before and after 2019
Short answer: At Goodfellow AFB, Texas, 7 of the 18 courts-martial in 2019–2023 ended in a full acquittal (39%), compared with 24% in the rest of the Air Force. Of the 12 records that list a plea, 67% were contested, compared with 50% in the rest of the Air Force. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 55% of the cases with charges listed.
Full Acquittals in 7 of 18 Cases
A full acquittal is a finding of not guilty on every charge. At Goodfellow, 7 of the 18 cases from 2019 to 2023 ended that way (39%). The rate in the rest of the Air Force was 24%.
Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list guilty pleas, so this rate uses all cases as its base. Among the contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 of 8 ended in a full acquittal. At RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom the count was 1 of 7, and at USAF Academy, Colorado it was 3 of 9.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodfellow AFB, Texas | 18 | 67% | 7 of 8 | 4 months | 55% |
| RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20 | 50% | 1 of 7 | 8 months | 73% |
| USAF Academy, Colorado | 20 | 75% | 3 of 9 | 4 months | 7% |
Most Recorded Pleas Were Contested
The plea appears in 12 of the 18 records. Of those, 4 were guilty pleas and 8 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 67% was higher than the 50% in the rest of the Air Force.
Because the earlier Air Force records seldom list a guilty plea, there is no contested share for 2016–2018 to compare.
Panels Decided 9 of 18 Cases
A military judge alone decided guilt in 9 of 18 cases (50%). Members decided the other 9: 7 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or members decide guilt.
Drug Charges and Other Articles
Only 11 of the 18 records list the charges. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals. Article 112a, which covers wrongful use and possession of controlled substances, appeared in 6 of the 11 (55%), compared with 41% across the Air Force.
Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), Article 134 (the general article), and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) each appeared in 2 cases (18%). Article 93a (prohibited activities with a recruit or trainee) and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 1. The Article 120b share was higher than the 7% Air Force-wide, and the Article 128 share was lower than the 19% Air Force-wide. Each article counts once per case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 55% | 41% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 18% | 7% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 18% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 18% | 16% |
| Art. 93a Prohibited activities with recruit or trainee | 1 | 9% | 0% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 1 | 9% | 19% |
Sentences for the 11 Convictions
Of 11 convictions, 9 included confinement (82%). In 2016–2018, 7 of 8 convictions did. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as the Air Force median, and up from 3 months in 2016–2018. A quarter of the terms with confinement were 2 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences. They are the sentence announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers all charges in the case.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 11 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 67% |
| Convictions with confinement | 7 of 8 | 82% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 2 of 8 | 55% |
| General courts-martial | 18% | 44% |
Punitive Discharges for 6 of 11 Enlisted Members
Of 11 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a punitive discharge: 4 bad-conduct and 2 dishonorable. The share was 55%, about the same as the 56% Air Force-wide. In 2016–2018, 2 of 8 convicted enlisted members at Goodfellow received one. A member without a punitive discharge can still be separated administratively.
A Junior Group and More General Courts-Martial
The accused were 13 junior enlisted members and 5 NCOs. No officers were tried. The group was more junior than the Air Force as a whole.
General courts-martial heard 8 of the 18 cases (44%), compared with 18% at Goodfellow in 2016–2018. Special courts-martial heard the rest. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Yearly Counts and Comparison Bases
The 18 cases ran from April 2019 to December 2023: 6 in 2019 and 3 in each year from 2020 to 2023. In 2016–2018 there were 11 cases. Counting full years only, both periods average about 4 a year. A few cases can change small-group percentages by a lot.
RAF Mildenhall and the Academy each tried 20 cases in these years. RAF Mildenhall had a 50% contested share and an 8 months median confinement. The Academy had a 75% contested share and the same 4 months median as Goodfellow. Punitive discharges went to 73% of convicted enlisted members at RAF Mildenhall and 7% at the Academy.
Limits of These Records
The records cover only cases that reached a court-martial. They leave out nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, offense dates, the evidence, and the plea terms. Air Force records never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Goodfellow AFB, Texas in 2016–2018 (11) and 2019–2023 (18).
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
- Goodfellow AFB, Texas: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Goodfellow AFB, Texas Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 18 Cases Show
- Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Goodfellow AFB, Texas, 2019–2023
- Jefferson B. Brown
- David Michael Cisek
- Elizabeth M. Hernandez
- Christina M. Jimenez
- Shad R. Kidd
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Rebecca E. Schmidt
- Thomas A. Smith
- Charles G. Warren
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.