Joint Base Lewis-McChord vs. Vilseck (Europe): Two Army Installations Side by Side, 2024–2026

Trends › By Installation › Joint Base Lewis-McChord › vs. Vilseck (Europe)

Based on 75 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Longer Median Confinement at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

65 of the 75 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. 59 of those sentences included confinement (91%). The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 8 months at Vilseck (Europe). A quarter of the sentences were 1.7 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence.

Sentences of 5 years or more were 17% of convictions here, compared with 7% at Vilseck (Europe). Sentences of more than 1 year but under 5 years were 17% here and 33% at Vilseck (Europe). Taken together, sentences of more than one year were 22 of 65 convictions (34%), compared with 40% at Vilseck (Europe).

These are adjudged sentences. They are the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each one covers every charge in the case. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.

Sexual Assault Charges Were More Common Here

72 of the 75 records list the charges. Each article counts once per case, so a case that charges both assault and sexual assault counts under both. Article 128b, domestic violence, was the most common charge, in 20 cases (28%), compared with 25% at Vilseck (Europe). Article 134, the general article, appeared in 17 cases (24%).

Article 120 appeared in 22% of cases here and 12% at Vilseck (Europe). Article 80, attempts, appeared in 8% here and 2% there. Article 128, assault, was less common at Joint Base Lewis-McChord: 17% of cases, compared with 37% at Vilseck (Europe). Article 92, orders violations, appeared in 7% of cases here and 12% at Vilseck (Europe).

Which Charges Ended in a Conviction on That Article?

Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article in 16 of 17 cases (94%), the highest among the top charges. Article 128b did so in 18 of 20 (90%), and Article 128 in 8 of 12 (67%). Article 120 had the lowest share, 9 of 16 (56%).

When the conviction included Article 120, the median confinement was 2.1 years. The median was 1 year for Article 134, 6 months for Article 128, and 4 months for Article 128b. One case can include several of these articles, so the rows overlap.

Pleas and Contested Cases

58 cases ended in a guilty plea, and 17 were not-guilty or mixed pleas. A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 23%, lower than the 30% at Vilseck (Europe).

Of the 17 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (41%). At Vilseck (Europe), 5 of 17 did (29%). Another 8 cases here ended in a partial acquittal (47%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common in Army records.

Plea agreements are recorded for 55 of the 58 guilty pleas, and 3 have no entry. Army records state whether there was an agreement, not what it said. Cases charging Article 128b ended in a guilty plea 90% of the time (18 of 20), the most among the top charges. Cases charging Article 128 did so 42% of the time (5 of 12).

Discharges After Conviction

46 of 60 convicted enlisted members received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (77%). That is about the same as the 78% at Vilseck (Europe). 11 of the 46 were dishonorable discharges.

5 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in these records, and 2 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Court Level, Forum, and Rank of the Accused

General courts-martial tried 49 of the 73 cases with a court level listed (67%), compared with 59% at Vilseck (Europe). Their median confinement was 1.2 years. The 24 special courts-martial had a median of 3 months. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The contested share was 31% in general courts-martial and 8% in special courts-martial. The court level is not listed for 2 cases.

65 cases were tried by a military judge alone, and 6 by an enlisted panel. No case went to an officer panel. Members heard 8% of the cases, compared with 18% at Vilseck (Europe). Among contested cases, members heard 6 of 13 (46%). The accused usually chooses the forum.

The accused were 42 junior enlisted members, 28 NCOs, and 5 officers. This group is more senior than the Vilseck (Europe) group.

Cases by Year and the 2023 Rule Changes

The records cover January 2024 through September 2026: 32 cases in 2024, 28 in 2025, and 15 in 2026. The 2026 count is a partial year.

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 in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date, which these records do not give. Trials from 2024 on therefore include cases under both the old and the new rules.

Limits of These Records

The trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence or the plea terms. Conduct handled outside a court-martial, such as nonjudicial punishment, is not included.

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.