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# Ramstein AB, Germany, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 38 Cases
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2019-2023/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:31:46.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:03:21.000Z
- Description: Ramstein AB, Germany, tried 38 Air Force courts-martial from 2019 through 2023, 61% of cases with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force. Of 19 contested cases that reached a verdict, 9 ended in a full acquittal.
- 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/) › 2019–2023

**Short answer:** Ramstein AB, Germany, tried 38 Air Force courts-martial from 2019 through 2023, 61% of cases with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force. Of 19 contested cases that reached a verdict, 9 ended in a full acquittal. 43% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 56% Air Force-wide.

Based on 38 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## More Contested Cases Than Across the Air Force

Cases at Ramstein were contested more often than elsewhere in the Air Force. Of the 31 records that list a plea, 19 were not-guilty or mixed pleas and 12 were guilty pleas. That is 61% contested. In the rest of the Air Force, the contested share was 50%.

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Air Force records do not report plea agreements, so the data cannot show whether any guilty plea came with one.

## How Contested Cases Ended

Of 19 contested cases that reached a verdict, 9 ended in a full acquittal and 3 ended in a partial acquittal. The 47% full-acquittal rate is lower than the 51% across the Air Force.

A partial acquittal means 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.

## Members Heard Most Contested Cases

Members decided guilt in 42% of cases with the forum listed: 12 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels. A military judge alone tried the other 22\. Among contested cases, members heard 15 of 19 (79%).

The accused usually chooses between a judge alone and a panel of members. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. For that reason, a high contested share usually comes with a high share of cases heard by members.

## More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges

Of 23 convicted enlisted members, 10 received a punitive discharge (43%). 8 were dishonorable discharges and 2 were bad-conduct discharges. Across the Air Force, the punitive discharge rate was 56%.

The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.

## How Much Confinement

Of 24 convictions, 22 carried confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 1.7 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

Sentences longer than one year were more common than in the rest of the Air Force: 7 of 24 convictions (29%), compared with 23%. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | -------------------------------- |
| 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 General Courts-Martial

Of the 38 cases, 24 were general courts-martial (63%), compared with 53% in the rest of the Air Force. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

92% of convictions included confinement in both general and special courts-martial. The median confinement was 1.7 years in general courts-martial and 4 months in the 14 special courts-martial.

By rank, 25 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 11 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 were officers or warrant officers. That mix is similar to the Air Force as a whole, where 64% were junior enlisted.

## Compared With McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Minot

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: 61%, compared with 42% and 48%.

Ramstein also had the lowest punitive discharge rate: 43%, compared with 50% at McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and 68% at Minot. Its median confinement of 5 months was the shortest of the 3.

| 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 Was Charged

Only 23 of the 38 records list the charges. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals. Among those 23, Article 112a (drugs) appeared in 9 cases (39%, compared with 41% Air Force-wide). Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 4 (17%, compared with 11%). Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 3 (13%, compared with 4%).

Article 128 (assault) appeared in 13% of these cases, compared with 19% across the Air Force. Each article counts once per case.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                                  | Cases | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| [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%                                        |

## Cases Over Time

By year, there were 6 cases in 2019, 13 in 2020, 14 in 2021, 2 in 2022, and 3 in 2023\. The 38 cases were 3% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years.

In 2016–2018, Ramstein had 29 cases, about 10 a year. It has had about 8 a year since, counting full years only. The median confinement was 5 months in both periods. The punitive discharge rate was 45% then and 43% since. Convictions with confinement were 73% then and 92% since. General courts-martial were 41% then and 63% since. Small groups change with a few cases, so 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%       |

## What the Records Cannot Show

These records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not give offense dates, show the evidence, or report plea terms. They do not include misconduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

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 in the data tried at Ramstein AB, Germany with a trial date in 2019–2023 (38 cases), compared with all 1,361 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.

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)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Ramstein AB, Germany Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 29 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2016-2018/) (another period)
- [Ramstein AB, Germany Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 20 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (another period)
- [Inside 39 Courts-Martial at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/jb-mcguire-dix-lakehurst-new-jersey-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (same years, similar size)
- [What Was Tried at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2019–2023? 39 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/minot-afb-north-dakota-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (same years, similar size)
- [Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [Ramstein AB, Germany Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 29 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2016-2018/)Next: [Ramstein AB, Germany Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 20 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ramstein-ab-germany-courts-martial-2024-2026/) →

## 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.