What Was Tried at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, 2016–2018? 34 Courts-Martial

Trends › By Installation › Holloman AFB, New Mexico › 2016–2018

Based on 34 cases · 2016–2018 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Cases Were in 2017

The number of cases differed by year. The records show 3 cases in 2016, 20 in 2017, and 11 in 2018, for 34 cases between June 2016 and October 2018.

Those 34 cases were 3% of the 991 Air Force courts-martial in the same years. The records do not explain why the count changed from year to year.

Drug Charges in Most Cases

Of the 32 cases whose records list charges, 26 included Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances). That is 81%, compared with 48% of cases across the Air Force.

Most other articles were charged in few cases here. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 4 cases (12%, compared with 11% Air Force-wide). Article 134 (the general article) was charged in only 2 cases (6%), compared with 25% across the Air Force. Article 92 (orders violation) was charged in 1 (3%, compared with 16%). Article 86 (AWOL) was charged in 2 cases (6%, compared with 4% Air Force-wide). One case can appear under several articles, so these counts overlap.

How Long Was Confinement?

Of 34 cases, 32 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 25 of those sentences included confinement (78%). The median was 2 months, lower than 4 months across the Air Force. A quarter of those sentences were 4 months or longer.

66% of convictions included under 6 months, compared with 46% Air Force-wide. 2 of 32 convictions (6%) included more than one year, compared with 21%. None included 5 years or more.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

Most of the Accused Were Junior Enlisted

Of the accused, 30 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 4 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 0 were officers or warrant officers. Across the Air Force, 63% of the accused were junior enlisted.

Only 5 of the 34 cases were general courts-martial (15%), compared with 47% across the Air Force. The rest were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

Discharges After Conviction

Of 32 convicted enlisted members, 14 received a punitive discharge (44%): 12 bad-conduct and 2 dishonorable. Across the Air Force the share was 55%.

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation. Administrative separations do not appear in these records.

Few Full Acquittals

Of the 34 cases, 2 ended in a full acquittal (6%), compared with 20% across the Air Force. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 seldom list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty, so this rate uses all cases, not only contested ones.

For the same reason, the records do not give a reliable count of contested cases for these years.

Judge or Panel?

A military judge alone decided guilt in 19 of 34 cases with the forum listed (56%). Members heard 15: 13 officer panels and 2 enlisted panels.

The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. There were more officer panels than enlisted panels here. The records do not say why any accused chose one forum over another.

Holloman Beside Davis-Monthan and Nellis

Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, tried 35 cases and Nellis AFB, Nevada, tried 29 in the same years. Holloman's median confinement of 2 months was the lowest of the 3, compared with 3 months at each of the others.

Holloman's punitive discharge share, 44%, was the highest of the 3, compared with 20% at Davis-Monthan and 38% at Nellis.

Before the 2019 Rules, and Beyond the Record

These cases came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. That law set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. Cases with offenses from before 2019 kept the old rules.

The records show charges, findings, and sentences. They do not show offense dates, evidence, or plea terms, and Air Force records do not report plea agreements. Drug use handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation does not appear in them.

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.