What Changed at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom After 2019? 11 Cases vs. 23
RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom tried 23 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 11 in 2016–2018. In the later period, 87% of the cases with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force, and 87% were general courts-martial.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom › Before and after 2019
Short answer: RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom tried 23 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 11 in 2016–2018. In the later period, 87% of the cases with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force, and 87% were general courts-martial. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 3 months in 2016–2018 and 4 months across the Air Force.
Most Cases Were Contested
15 of the 23 records list the plea. Of those, 13 were not-guilty or mixed pleas and 2 were guilty pleas. A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share at Lakenheath was 87%, compared with 50% Air Force-wide.
Of 12 contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 ended in a full acquittal (42%). That rate is lower than the 51% in the Air Force as a whole. Another 2 ended in a partial acquittal (17%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports it.
Sexual Assault Charges
Only 13 of the 23 records list the charges, and one case can count under several articles. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 5 of them, or 38%, compared with 11% across the Air Force. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 31%, compared with 19%.
Article 134 (general article) appeared in 23% of cases, close to the 21% Air Force share. Drug charges under Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 15%, lower than the 41% Air Force share.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 38% | 11% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 31% | 19% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 23% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 15% | 41% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 15% | 16% |
| Art. 112 Drunk on duty before 2019, drunkenness on duty since | 1 | 8% | 1% |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer | 1 | 8% | 1% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 8% | 3% |
Panels of Members More Often Than Elsewhere
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. At Lakenheath, a military judge alone heard 11 cases, enlisted panels heard 9, and officer panels heard 3. Members heard 52% of the cases, compared with 38% in the rest of the Air Force. Among contested cases, members heard 9 of 13 (69%).
General Courts-Martial and Sentences
Lakenheath held 20 general and 3 special courts-martial. The general share, 87%, compares with 53% across the Air Force. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Of 13 convictions, 12 included confinement. The median confinement was 9 months, longer than the 4 months for the Air Force as a whole. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 1.5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover all charges in each case.
Discharges and Dismissals
Among 12 enlisted members convicted, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (75%). That is more often than the 56% in the rest of the Air Force. 7 of the 9 were dishonorable discharges, which only a general court-martial can impose.
1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in the records, and that officer 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.
2016–2018 Compared With 2019–2023
The earlier period had 11 cases over the 3 years with cases on record, about 4 a year. The later period averaged about 5 a year, counting full years only. Cases by year after 2019 were 7 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 5 in 2022, and 2 in 2023.
The median confinement went from 3 months to 9 months. General courts-martial went from 55% to 87% of cases. In 2016–2018, 6 of 6 convictions included confinement and 4 of 6 enlisted convictions carried a punitive discharge. With so few cases, these changes show direction, not exact size.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 11 | 23 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 87% |
| Convictions with confinement | 6 of 6 | 92% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 4 of 6 | 75% |
| General courts-martial | 55% | 87% |
Rank of the Accused
The accused were 18 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 2 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 3 officers or warrant officers. That group is more junior than the whole Air Force docket, where 64% were junior enlisted.
Barksdale and Kadena
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana and Kadena AB, Japan each tried 23 Air Force cases in 2019–2023. Kadena had a contested share of 67%, a median confinement of 1 year, and a punitive discharge share of 86%. Barksdale had a contested share of 40%, a median confinement of 2 months, and a punitive discharge share of 56%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom | 23 | 87% | 5 of 12 | 9 months | 75% |
| Barksdale AFB, Louisiana | 23 | 40% | 4 of 8 | 2 months | 56% |
| Kadena AB, Japan | 23 | 67% | 7 of 12 | 1 year | 86% |
What These Records Leave Out
Trial dates are recorded, but offense dates are not. The records do not describe evidence or plea terms, and they exclude nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals, and from 2016 to 2019 they rarely list a guilty plea.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom in 2016–2018 (11) and 2019–2023 (23).
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
- RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 23 Cases
- RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 15 Cases Show
- What Changed at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom After 2024? 23 Cases vs. 15
- 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
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, 2019–2023
- Willie J. Babor
- Eric J. Cadotte
- Mark W. Milam
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Joshua D. Rosen
- Lance R. Smith
- Bryan D. Watson
- 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.