> ## 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. # What Changed at Ramstein AB, Germany After 2019? 29 Cases vs. 38 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-before-after-2019/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:51:45.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:21.000Z - Description: Ramstein AB, Germany tried 38 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 29 in 2016–2018. 61% of cases with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force. Punitive discharges were less common: 43% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 56% Air Force-wide. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Ramstein AB, Germany, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Ramstein AB, Germany](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-ramstein-ab-germany/) › Before and after 2019 **Short answer:** Ramstein AB, Germany tried 38 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 29 in 2016–2018\. 61% of cases with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force. Punitive discharges were less common: 43% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 56% Air Force-wide. Based on 38 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Most Cases Were Contested Of the 31 Ramstein records that list a plea, 19 show a not-guilty or mixed plea and 12 show a guilty plea. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share here was 61%, compared with 50% in all Air Force cases. Of those 19 contested cases, 9 ended in a full acquittal. That 47% rate compares with 51% Air Force-wide. Another 3 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge, but guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports it. ## The 2 Periods Compared The earlier period, 2016–2018, had 29 cases over 3 years, about 10 a year. Since 2019 there have been about 8 a year, counting full years. By year: 6 in 2019, 13 in 2020, 14 in 2021, 2 in 2022, and 3 in 2023. Median confinement was 5 months in both periods. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 45% to 43%. Convictions with confinement went from 73% to 92%. General courts-martial went from 41% to 63% of cases. Contested shares cannot be compared, because few earlier Air Force records list a guilty plea. With so few cases, these figures show direction, not precise size. | | 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | | ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 29 | 38 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 61% | | Convictions with confinement | 73% | 92% | | Median confinement | 5 months | 5 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 45% | 43% | | General courts-martial | 41% | 63% | ## Who Decided Guilt The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. At Ramstein, a judge alone heard 22 cases, an enlisted panel heard 12, and an officer panel heard 4\. Members heard 42% of cases, compared with 38% across the Air Force. Among contested cases, members heard 15 of 19 (79%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so this split mostly follows how many cases were contested. ## Few Convictions Without Confinement 92% of the 24 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, compared with a 4-month median for all Air Force cases. A quarter of the sentences were 1.7 years or more. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case. 7 of 24 convictions (29%) carried more than one year, compared with 23% Air Force-wide. Only 2 convictions carried no confinement. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement. A special court-martial is capped at one year. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 2 | 8% | 12% | | Under 6 months | 13 | 54% | 50% | | 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 8% | 15% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 21% | 17% | | 5 years or more | 2 | 8% | 6% | ## More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members, or a dismissal for officers. Of 23 convicted enlisted members, 10 received one: 2 bad-conduct and 8 dishonorable. That 43% rate is lower than the 56% for the Air Force as a whole. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence with no punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## What Was Charged Only 23 of the 38 cases have a charge list. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals. Among those 23, Article 112a (drug offenses) was the most common charge, at 39%, about the same as the 41% in the rest of the Air Force. Article 134, the general article, was next, at 22%. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 13% of cases, compared with 4% elsewhere. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 17%, compared with 11%. Article 115, which covered malingering before 2019 and communicating threats since, appeared in 9%. Article 128 (assault) was less common: 13%, compared with 19%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | -------------------------------- | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 9 | 39% | 41% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 5 | 22% | 21% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 17% | 16% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 17% | 11% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 3 | 13% | 19% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 3 | 13% | 4% | | [Art. 115](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-115/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 2 | 9% | 4% | | Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 9% | 3% | ## Court Level and Rank General courts-martial tried 24 cases (63%), compared with 53% in all Air Force cases. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The general courts-martial here had a median confinement of 1.7 years, and 76% were contested. The 14 special courts-martial had a median of 4 months, and 43% were contested. The accused were 25 junior enlisted members, 11 NCOs, and 2 officers. That mix is similar to the Air Force overall. ## Compared With Similar Installations JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey and Minot AFB, North Dakota each tried 39 cases in the same years. Ramstein had the highest contested share of the 3, at 61%, compared with 42% and 48%. 9 of its 19 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, compared with 11 of 15 and 11 of 16 at the other installations. Ramstein had the shortest median confinement, 5 months, compared with 6 months and 8 months. It had the lowest punitive discharge rate, 43%, compared with 50% and 68%. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ------------------------------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Ramstein AB, Germany | 38 | 61% | 9 of 19 | 5 months | 43% | | JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey | 39 | 42% | 11 of 15 | 6 months | 50% | | Minot AFB, North Dakota | 39 | 48% | 11 of 16 | 8 months | 68% | ## What the Records Cannot Show Only cases that reached a court-martial appear here. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases closed without action are not included. The records do not show the evidence or offense dates. Air Force records never report plea agreements. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every court-martial tried at Ramstein AB, Germany in 2016–2018 (29) and 2019–2023 (38). 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 - [Ramstein AB, Germany: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-ramstein-ab-germany/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Ramstein AB, Germany, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 38 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [Ramstein AB, Germany Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 29 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2016-2018/) - [Ramstein AB, Germany Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 20 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [What Changed at Ramstein AB, Germany After 2024? 38 Cases vs. 20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-before-after-2024/) - [Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-before-after-2019/) - [Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2019/) - [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2024/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Ramstein AB, Germany, 2019–2023 - [Willie J. Babor](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-willie-j-babor/) - [Christina M. Jimenez](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-christina-m-jimenez/) - [Charlton J. Meginley](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-charlton-j-meginley/) - [Mark W. Milam](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-w-milam/) - [Sterling C. Pendleton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-sterling-c-pendleton/) - [Charles E. Wiedie Jr.](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](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.