> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 128 and Article 131b, 2021–2026 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-131b-charged-together/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:18:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:44:48.000Z - Description: The records show 18 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2021–2026 that charged Article 128 (assault) together with Article 131b (obstruction). - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 128, Article 131b, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 128](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-128-courts-martial/) › Navy-Marine Corps, with Article 131b **Short answer:** The records show 18 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2021–2026 that charged Article 128 (assault) together with Article 131b (obstruction). Among 15 convicted enlisted members, 14 received a punitive discharge (93%), compared with 54% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. The median confinement was 1.2 years, compared with 6 months across those Article 128 cases. Based on 18 cases · 2021–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## 93% Received a Punitive Discharge Of the 15 enlisted members convicted, 14 received a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. 4 of those 14 were dishonorable discharges. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2021–2026, 54% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge. The group also includes 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was not dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Median Confinement of 1.2 Years 17 of the 18 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. 15 of those 17 sentences included confinement (88%). The median confinement was 1.2 years. For all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases, the median was 6 months. A quarter of the confinement terms here were 2 years or longer. Each figure is an adjudged sentence, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. The sentence covers every charge in the case, not only the assault and obstruction counts. ## Sexual Assault Charges in the Same Cases Every case charged at least one other article besides Article 128\. After Article 131b, the most common were Article 92 (orders violation) in 7 cases, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 6, Article 115 (communicating threats) in 5, and Article 107 (false official statement) in 4. When an assault count appears next to a sexual assault charge, it can describe part of the same incident. The records do not show how the counts in a case relate to each other. ## Court Level 10 of the 18 cases (56%) were general courts-martial, and special courts-martial made up the rest. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge or confinement of more than one year. ## Pleas In 11 cases the accused pleaded guilty, and in 7 the accused entered a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 39%, about the same as the 38% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2021–2026. ## Rank of Those Charged Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 76% of the accused. NCOs and officers were each 12%. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2021–2026, junior enlisted members were 62%. ## Trials by Year The cases were tried from February 2021 through August 2026\. There were 7 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 0 in 2024, 1 in 2025, and 2 in 2026, a partial year. ## Outside the Trial Records The records give the trial date, not the date of the offense. They do not describe the evidence or any plea terms. Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not part of this data. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 128 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with trial dates in 2021–2026 that charged both Article 128 and Article 131b (18 cases), compared with all 440 Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in those years. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-128-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-131b-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Article 128 With Article 129 in the Navy and Marine Corps: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-129-charged-together/) - [Article 128 With Article 81 in the Navy and Marine Corps: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-81-charged-together/) - [Article 128 With Article 90 in the Navy and Marine Corps: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-90-charged-together/) - [Article 128 With Article 92 in the Navy and Marine Corps: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-92-charged-together/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Cases Charging Both Article 128 and Article 134](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-134-charged-together/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Cases Charging Both Article 128 and Article 80](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-80-charged-together/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Cases Charging Both Article 128 and Article 86](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-and-article-86-charged-together/) - [Article 128 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **Compare: federal court.** [Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-article-128/) · [Obstruction of Justice and Perjury: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obstruction-perjury-vs-courts-martial/) **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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.