JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases
JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii had 15 Air Force courts-martial from February 2024 to March 2026, 3% of the 598 Air Force cases in those years. The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii › 2024–2026
Short answer: JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii had 15 Air Force courts-martial from February 2024 to March 2026, 3% of the 598 Air Force cases in those years. The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months across the Air Force. A punitive discharge followed 10 of 12 enlisted convictions (83%), compared with 62% Air Force-wide.
Longer Confinement Than the Air Force Median
Of the 15 cases, 13 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 12 of those sentences included confinement (92%). The median confinement was 11 months, longer than the 6 months for the Air Force as a whole. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Most Enlisted Convictions Ended in a Punitive Discharge
Of 12 convicted enlisted members, 10 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (83%). Across the Air Force, 62% did. Of those 10, 5 were dishonorable discharges, which only a general court-martial can impose. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Contested Cases and Panels
There were 8 contested cases and 7 guilty pleas. The contested share, 53%, was higher than the 43% in all Air Force cases in those years. Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal.
Members heard 53% of the cases: 7 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone heard the other 7. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.
Then and Now
The installation had 34 cases in 2019–2023, about 7 a year, the same rate as since 2024. The median confinement went from 4 months to 11 months. The punitive discharge rate went from 64% to 83%, and the contested share went from 39% to 53%.
Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 5 of 11 to 2 of 8. With groups this small, a few cases can move these figures.
| 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% |
Charges Listed
Charges are listed for all 15 cases. Article 134 (the general article) was charged in 4 cases (27%). Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation), and Article 112a (drug offenses) were each charged in 3 cases (20%). Article 120 was charged more often than across the Air Force, where the share was 13%.
Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle), Article 128 (assault), Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), and Article 128b (domestic violence) were each charged in 2 cases. A case with several articles counts under each one.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 and Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and NCOs (E-5 to E-9) each made up 47% of the accused, and officers 7%. Across the Air Force, 58% of the accused were junior enlisted. There were 8 general and 7 special courts-martial, a general share of 53% compared with 56% in the rest of the Air Force.
Installations of Similar Size
Ramstein AB, Germany and McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 20 and 21 cases. Ramstein had a median confinement of 9 months and a punitive discharge rate of 65%. McConnell had 3 months 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% |
Years and Limits
There were 6 cases in 2024, 8 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, a partial year. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence. The records do not give offense dates, so trials from 2024 on include cases under both the old and new rules.
The records 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.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii with a trial date in 2024–2026 (15 cases), compared with all 598 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 24 Cases Show (another period)
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 34 Cases (another period)
- JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 15 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 15 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Did Drug Cases at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Change After 2020?
- 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.