Inside 26 Courts-Martial at Peterson SFB, Colorado, 2016–2018
Peterson SFB, Colorado tried 26 courts-martial between March 2016 and December 2018. 8 of 18 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (44%), compared with 55% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 4 months Air Force-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Peterson SFB, Colorado › 2016–2018
Short answer: Peterson SFB, Colorado tried 26 courts-martial between March 2016 and December 2018. 8 of 18 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (44%), compared with 55% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 4 months Air Force-wide. Members decided 12 of the 26 cases, and 10 of those were officer panels.
Officer Panels Heard 10 Cases
The forum is listed for all 26 cases. A military judge alone decided guilt in 14 (54%). Members heard the other 12: 2 enlisted panels and 10 officer panels.
The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel decides guilt. Air Force records from this period rarely list a guilty plea, so the records cannot show how closely the forum choice tracked contested cases at Peterson.
Fewer Punitive Discharges Than Air Force-Wide
Of 18 convicted enlisted members, 8 received a punitive discharge: 4 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. That 44% rate is lower than the 55% in the rest of the Air Force.
The records also show 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
A Short Median Confinement and Some Long Sentences
Of the 26 cases, 20 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 16 of those sentences included confinement (80%). The median confinement was 3 months, about the same as the 4 months across the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 1.6 years or more.
5 of 20 convictions (25%) carried more than one year of confinement, compared with 21% Air Force-wide. Sentences of more than 1 year but under 5 years were 20% of convictions here, compared with 13%. Sentences under 6 months were 45%, about the same as the Air Force's 46%. Convictions with no confinement were 20%, compared with 18%. Sentences of 5 years or more were 5%, compared with 8%.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in a case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 20% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 45% | 46% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 10% | 14% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 20% | 13% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 5% | 8% |
Sentences by Court Level
General courts-martial made up 14 of the 26 cases (54%), compared with 47% Air Force-wide. Their median confinement was 10 months. The 12 special courts-martial had a median of 2 months.
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Full Acquittals About the Same as the Air Force
6 of the 26 cases ended in a full acquittal (23%), compared with 20% across the Air Force. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty. For that reason, the rate is measured against all cases, not against contested cases only.
Drugs and the General Article
Charge lists exist for 20 of the 26 cases. Article 112a (drug) was the most common charge, in 10 cases (50%), about the same as the Air Force's 48%. Article 134 (the general article) appeared in 6 (30%, compared with 25%). Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 4 (20%, compared with 16%).
Sex offense charges were less common. Article 120b (sexual offenses against a child) appeared in 2 cases (10%), the same as the Air Force's 10%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 1 (5%, compared with 9%). Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 2 cases (10%, compared with 7%). Article 128 (assault) appeared in 2 (10%, compared with 11%). Each article counts once per case. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 10 | 50% | 48% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 30% | 25% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 10% | 10% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 10% | 7% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 10% | 11% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 5% | 9% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 1 | 5% | 4% |
Compared With Elmendorf-Richardson and Barksdale
JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska (26 cases) and Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (27) tried a similar number of Air Force cases in the same years. Peterson had the shortest median confinement of the 3: 3 months, compared with 6 months at Elmendorf-Richardson and 4 months at Barksdale.
Its punitive discharge rate of 44% was also the lowest, compared with 65% and 53%. The plea data needed to compare contested shares is missing for all 3 installations.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterson SFB, Colorado | 26 | — | — | 3 months | 44% |
| JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska | 26 | — | — | 6 months | 65% |
| Barksdale AFB, Louisiana | 27 | — | — | 4 months | 53% |
Who Was Tried, When, and What Is Missing
The accused were 15 junior enlisted members, 9 NCOs, and 2 officers. That group is more senior than in the rest of the Air Force. By year, there were 11 cases in 2016, 10 in 2017, and 5 in 2018. Together they were 3% of the 991 Air Force courts-martial in those years. All were tried before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019.
These records cover only cases that reached a court-martial. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases closed without action are not included. The records do not show the evidence or plea terms. 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 Peterson SFB, Colorado with a trial date in 2016–2018 (26 cases), compared with all 991 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
- Peterson SFB, Colorado: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Peterson SFB, Colorado, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 21 Cases (another period)
- Inside 26 Courts-Martial at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018 (same years, similar size)
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases (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
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Peterson SFB, Colorado, 2016–2018
- Jefferson B. Brown
- Naomi P. Dennis
- James R. Dorman
- Donald R. Eller Jr.
- Scott E. Harding
- John C. Harwood
- James E. Key III
- Mark W. Milam
- Christopher M. Schumann
- Vance H. Spath
- Matthew D. Talcott
- Brian D. Teter
- Marvin W. Tubbs II
- Brendon K. Tukey
- Tiffany M. Wagner
- Charles G. Warren
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.