Inside 14 Courts-Martial at MacDill AFB, Florida, 2020–2023
MacDill AFB, Florida had 14 Air Force courts-martial from February 2020 to October 2023, 1% of the 1,015 Air Force cases in those years. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 8 months at MacDill in 2016–2018.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › MacDill AFB, Florida › 2020–2023
Short answer: MacDill AFB, Florida had 14 Air Force courts-martial from February 2020 to October 2023, 1% of the 1,015 Air Force cases in those years. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 8 months at MacDill in 2016–2018. Of 13 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a punitive discharge, compared with 56% across the Air Force.
Shorter Sentences Than in 2016–2018
In 2016–2018 the median confinement at MacDill was 8 months. In 2020–2023 it was 2 months. The punitive discharge rate for convicted enlisted members went from 82% to 46%, and general courts-martial went from 57% of cases to 36%.
The installation averaged about 5 cases a year in 2016–2018 and about 4 a year after. With groups this small, a few cases either way can move these figures.
| 2016–2018 | 2020–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 14 | 14 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 29% |
| Convictions with confinement | 91% | 92% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 2 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 82% | 46% |
| General courts-martial | 57% | 36% |
Confinement
Of the 14 cases, 13 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 12 of those sentences included confinement (92%). The median confinement was 2 months, shorter than the 4 months in the rest of the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
Punitive Discharges
Of 13 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a punitive discharge: 4 bad-conduct and 2 dishonorable. Across the Air Force, the share was 56%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Guilty Pleas and Military Judges
The records show 10 guilty pleas and 4 contested cases. The contested share, 29%, was lower than the 50% in the rest of the Air Force. Of the 4 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 12 of 14 cases (86%). Members heard 2: 1 enlisted panel and 1 officer panel.
Charges Listed
Charges are listed for 13 of the 14 cases. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 5 of them (38%), about the same as the 37% in the rest of the Air Force. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was charged in 2 (15%). Article 128 (assault) appears in 1 case (8%), compared with 21% across the Air Force. A case with several articles counts under each one.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 38% | 37% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 15% | 17% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 2 | 15% | 5% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 1 | 8% | 7% |
| Art. 111 Drunken or reckless driving before 2019, leaving the scene of an accident since | 1 | 8% | 1% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 1 | 8% | 21% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 8% | 6% |
| Art. 134 General article | 1 | 8% | 20% |
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 7 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 7 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), with no officers. That mix is more senior than all Air Force cases in those years, where 63% were junior enlisted.
There were 5 general courts-martial (36%, compared with 55% Air Force-wide). The rest were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Similar Installations
JBSA-Lackland, Texas and Travis AFB, California each tried 20 cases. Travis had the same median confinement, 2 months, and Lackland had 4 months. Both had higher punitive discharge rates: 67% at Lackland and 54% at Travis.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacDill AFB, Florida | 14 | 29% | 1 of 4 | 2 months | 46% |
| JBSA - Lackland, Texas | 20 | 56% | 8 of 10 | 4 months | 67% |
| Travis AFB, California | 20 | 42% | 5 of 8 | 2 months | 54% |
Years and Limits
There were 2 cases in 2020, 1 in 2021, 7 in 2022, and 4 in 2023. The records cover only cases that reached a courtroom, not nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and Air Force records never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at MacDill AFB, Florida with a trial date in 2020–2023 (14 cases), compared with all 1,015 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
- MacDill AFB, Florida: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 14 Courts-Martial at MacDill AFB, Florida, 2016–2018 (another period)
- Little Rock AFB, Arkansas Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 14 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
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 29 Cases Show
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at MacDill AFB, Florida, 2020–2023
- Wesley A. Braun
- Bryon T. Gleisner
- Brian C. Mason
- Tyler B. Musselman
- Joshua D. Rosen
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Michael A. Schrama
- Pilar G. Wennrich
- Charles E. Wiedie Jr.
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.