Luke AFB, Arizona Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
Luke AFB, Arizona had 16 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 14 in 2016–2018. Only 3 of 10 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (30%), compared with 56% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Luke AFB, Arizona › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Luke AFB, Arizona had 16 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 14 in 2016–2018. Only 3 of 10 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (30%), compared with 56% across the Air Force. Drug offenses (Article 112a) were charged in 55% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 41%.
Punitive Discharges Were Less Common
Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 3 received a punitive discharge: 2 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. The share, 30%, was lower than the 56% Air Force-wide. In 2016–2018 it was 40% at Luke.
The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 14 | 16 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 58% |
| Convictions with confinement | 70% | 100% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 40% | 30% |
| General courts-martial | 21% | 44% |
Members Decided Most Cases
Members heard 11 of the 16 cases: 8 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels. A military judge alone decided 5 (31%). The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.
Drug and Assault Charges
Charges are listed in 11 of the 16 records. Article 112a (drugs) appeared in 6 cases (55%). Article 128 (assault) appeared in 4 cases (36%), compared with 19% Air Force-wide. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 2 cases (18%), compared with 11%.
Single cases charged Article 131b (obstructing justice), Article 87b (offenses against correctional custody), and Article 113, which covered misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019 and drunken or reckless driving since.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 55% | 41% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 36% | 19% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 18% | 11% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 9% | 3% |
| Art. 87b Offenses against correctional custody | 1 | 9% | 1% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 1 | 9% | 4% |
Pleas and Acquittals
Of the 12 records that list a plea, 7 were contested and 5 were guilty pleas. The contested share, 58%, compares with 50% across the Air Force. A contested case is a not-guilty or mixed plea.
Of all 16 cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal (31%), compared with 24% Air Force-wide. That rate uses all cases as the base, because older Air Force records often omit guilty pleas.
Confinement
All 11 convictions included confinement (100%), compared with 70% in 2016–2018. The median was 3 months in both periods, close to the 4 months Air Force-wide. A quarter of the terms were 6 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Rank, Court Level, and Case Counts
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 69% of the accused, NCOs 19%, and officers 12%. General courts-martial heard 7 of the 16 cases (44%), compared with 53% Air Force-wide and 21% at Luke in 2016–2018. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
The records show 4 cases in 2019, 1 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 6 in 2022, and 1 in 2023, about 3 a year. The earlier period averaged about 5 a year.
Similar Bases
RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases in the same years. RAF Mildenhall had a punitive discharge rate of 73%, and USAF Academy had 7%. Their median confinement was 8 months and 4 months.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke AFB, Arizona | 16 | 58% | 2 of 7 | 3 months | 30% |
| RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20 | 50% | 1 of 7 | 8 months | 73% |
| USAF Academy, Colorado | 20 | 75% | 3 of 9 | 4 months | 7% |
What Is Not in the Records
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Luke AFB, Arizona in 2016–2018 (14) and 2019–2023 (16).
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
- Luke AFB, Arizona: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 16 Courts-Martial at Luke AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023
- Luke AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 14 Cases
- 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
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Luke AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023
- Wesley A. Braun
- Elijah F. Brown
- W. Shane Cohen
- Colin P. Eichenberger
- Brett A. Landry
- Andrew R. Norton
- Dayle P. Percle
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Matthew P. Stoffel
- Charles G. Warren
- Bryan D. Watson
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.