Inside 12 Courts-Martial at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, 2024–2026
Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina held 12 courts-martial from 2024 to 2026. Article 112a (drug offenses) and Article 134 (the general article) were each charged in 45% of cases, compared with 20% and 24% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina › 2024–2026
Short answer: Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina held 12 courts-martial from 2024 to 2026. Article 112a (drug offenses) and Article 134 (the general article) were each charged in 45% of cases, compared with 20% and 24% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 1.2 years, up from 2 months in 2019–2023.
Drug and General Article Charges
Charge lists exist for 11 of the 12 cases. Article 112a and Article 134 each appeared in 5 of them. Both shares, 45%, were higher than in the whole Air Force.
Article 117a (wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images) appeared in 2 cases (18%), compared with 1% Air Force-wide. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) appeared in 3 (27%).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 45% | 20% |
| Art. 134 General article | 5 | 45% | 24% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 27% | 16% |
| Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images | 2 | 18% | 1% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 2 | 18% | 3% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 9% | 13% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 1 | 9% | 0% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 9% | 9% |
Changes Since 2019–2023
The earlier period had 17 cases over 5 years, about 3 a year. Since 2024 the pace has been about 6 a year, counting full years only.
Median confinement went from 2 months to 1.2 years. A punitive discharge followed 42% of enlisted convictions in 2019–2023 and 7 of 7 in 2024–2026. The contested share moved from 82% to 40%. Groups this small can shift with a few cases, so these changes show direction only.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 17 | 12 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 82% | 40% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 9 | 3 of 4 |
| Convictions with confinement | 92% | 7 of 9 |
| Median confinement | 2 months | 1.2 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 42% | 7 of 7 |
| General courts-martial | 76% | 67% |
Pleas and Acquittals
10 of the 12 records list the plea: 6 guilty pleas and 4 contested cases. The contested share, 40%, was close to the Air Force rate of 43%.
3 of the 4 contested cases ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge.
Sentences
7 of 9 convictions included confinement, and the median term was 1.2 years. Every convicted enlisted member received a punitive discharge (7 of 7). These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Court Level, Forum, and Rank
8 cases were general courts-martial and 4 were special courts-martial. The general share, 67%, compares with 56% Air Force-wide.
A military judge alone decided 8 of the 12 cases (67%). Members heard 4: 3 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 50% of the accused, NCOs 33%, and officers 17%. Air Force-wide, junior enlisted members were 58%.
Ramstein AB and McConnell AFB
Ramstein AB, Germany tried 20 cases and McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 21 in the same years. Median confinement was 9 months at Ramstein AB and 3 months at McConnell AFB. The punitive discharge share was 65% and 44%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina | 12 | 40% | 3 of 4 | 1.2 years | 7 of 7 |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
Timing, New Rules, and Limits
Trials ran from January 2024 through February 2026: 5 in 2024, 6 in 2025, and 1 so far in 2026. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023.
Both rules depend on the offense date, which the records do not give. The records also leave out evidence, plea terms, and cases resolved without a court-martial.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina with a trial date in 2024–2026 (12 cases), compared with all 598 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
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- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, 2024–2026
- Ryan Daniel Brunson
- Vicki L. Marcus
- Tyler B. Musselman
- Ashleigh T. Nguyen
- Joshua D. Rosen
- Michael A. Schrama
- Brian Michael Thompson
- Pilar G. Wennrich
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.