JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii had 15 courts-martial from February 2024 to March 2026. The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months across the Air Force and 4 months at the base in 2019–2023.
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Trends › By Installation › JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii › Before and after 2024
Short answer: JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii had 15 courts-martial from February 2024 to March 2026. The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months across the Air Force and 4 months at the base in 2019–2023. A punitive discharge followed 83% of enlisted convictions, compared with 62% Air Force-wide.
Longer Confinement Than in 2019–2023
Of 13 convictions, 92% included confinement. The median confinement was 11 months. In 2019–2023 the median at the base was 4 months, and across the Air Force in 2024–2026 it was 6 months. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 34 | 15 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 39% | 53% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 11 | 2 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 92% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 11 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 64% | 83% |
| General courts-martial | 47% | 53% |
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 83% of enlisted convictions: 5 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. The Air Force share was 62%, and the base share in 2019–2023 was 64%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
More Contested Cases
Of the 15 cases, 8 were contested and 7 were guilty pleas. A contested case is a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 53%, was higher than the 43% Air Force-wide and the 39% at the base in 2019–2023.
Of 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. In 2019–2023, 5 of 11 did.
What Was Charged
All 15 records list charges. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 4 cases (27%), compared with 24% elsewhere in the Air Force. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 3 cases (20%), compared with 13%. Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle) appeared in 2 cases (13%), compared with 5%. Article 112a (drugs) appeared in 20%, the same as the Air Force share.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 27% | 24% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 20% | 13% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 20% | 20% |
| Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 2 | 13% | 5% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 13% | 13% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 13% | 9% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 13% | 15% |
Rank, Court Level, and Forum
The accused were 7 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 7 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. That group is more senior than the Air Force as a whole, where 58% were junior enlisted.
General courts-martial heard 8 of the 15 cases (53%), compared with 56% Air Force-wide. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A military judge alone decided 7 cases (47%). Members heard 8: 7 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel.
Case Counts and Peers
The records show 6 cases in 2024, 8 in 2025, and 1 so far in 2026, which is a partial year. That is about 7 a year, the same pace as 2019–2023, when the base had 34 cases.
Ramstein AB, Germany tried 20 cases and McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 21 in the same years. Ramstein had a median confinement of 9 months and McConnell 3 months. Their punitive discharge rates were 65% and 44%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii | 15 | 53% | 2 of 8 | 11 months | 83% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
Law Changes and Limits
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 is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date, which these records do not give.
The records do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or cases handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii in 2019–2023 (34) and 2024–2026 (15).
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
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 34 Cases
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 24 Cases Show
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- 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
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2024–2026
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.