Inside 16 Courts-Martial at Luke AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023
Luke AFB, Arizona had 16 Air Force courts-martial from February 2019 to July 2023, 1% of the 1,361 Air Force cases in those years. Panels of members decided 11 of the 16 cases, and 5 cases ended in a full acquittal (31%), compared with 24% Air Force-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Luke AFB, Arizona › 2019–2023
Short answer: Luke AFB, Arizona had 16 Air Force courts-martial from February 2019 to July 2023, 1% of the 1,361 Air Force cases in those years. Panels of members decided 11 of the 16 cases, and 5 cases ended in a full acquittal (31%), compared with 24% Air Force-wide. Every conviction included confinement, with a median of 3 months.
Panels Decided Most Cases
Members decided guilt in 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.
Pleas and Acquittals
The plea is recorded for 12 cases. In 7 the accused contested at least one charge, and in 5 the accused pleaded guilty. The contested share, 58%, was higher than the 50% in all Air Force cases in those years. Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal.
Across all 16 cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal (31%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list guilty pleas, so this rate counts acquittals against all cases.
Confinement and Discharges
Confinement was part of 100% of the 11 convictions. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 4 months in the rest of the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 6 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 3 received a punitive discharge: 2 bad-conduct and 1 dishonorable. The Air Force share was 56%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Drug and Assault Charges
Charges are listed for 11 of the 16 cases. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 6 (55%), compared with 41% Air Force-wide. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 4 (36%), compared with 19%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 2 (18%), compared with 11%.
A case with several articles is counted under each one.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Change From 2016–2018
In 2016–2018 the installation had 14 cases, about 5 a year, compared with about 3 a year from 2019 on. The median confinement was 3 months in both periods. The share of convictions with confinement went from 70% to 100%, and general courts-martial went from 21% of cases to 44%. The punitive discharge rate went from 40% to 30%. Groups this small can move with a few cases.
| 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% |
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 11 junior enlisted members, 3 NCOs, and 2 officers, a more junior group than across the Air Force. General courts-martial made up 44% of the cases (7 of 16), and special courts-martial made up the rest.
Similar Installations
RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases. Mildenhall had a contested share of 50% and a median confinement of 8 months. The Academy had 75% 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% |
Years and Limits
There were 4 cases in 2019, 1 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 6 in 2022, and 1 in 2023. The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They 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 Luke AFB, Arizona with a trial date in 2019–2023 (16 cases), compared with all 1,361 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
- Luke AFB, Arizona: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Luke AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 14 Cases (another period)
- What Was Tried at Eglin AFB, Florida, 2019–2023? 16 Courts-Martial (same years, similar size)
- Keesler AFB, Mississippi Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 16 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- 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.