Sheppard AFB, Texas Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 17 Cases Show
Sheppard AFB, Texas held 17 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023. A punitive discharge followed 67% of enlisted convictions, compared with 56% in the rest of the Air Force and 40% at Sheppard AFB in 2016–2018.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Sheppard AFB, Texas › 2019–2023
Short answer: Sheppard AFB, Texas held 17 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023. A punitive discharge followed 67% of enlisted convictions, compared with 56% in the rest of the Air Force and 40% at Sheppard AFB in 2016–2018. 53% of cases with a recorded plea were contested, close to the Air Force rate of 50%.
Punitive Discharges Were More Common
Of 12 enlisted members convicted, 8 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (67%). 2 of those were dishonorable discharges. The share in the rest of the Air Force was 56%.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Comparison With 2016–2018
In 2016–2018 Sheppard AFB had 11 cases, about 4 a year. The 2019–2023 pace was about 3 a year, counting full years only.
The punitive discharge share went from 40% to 67%. Median confinement went from 2 months to 4 months, and general courts-martial went from 45% to 65% of cases. Figures from groups this small can change with a few cases and show direction only.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 11 | 17 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 53% |
| Convictions with confinement | 70% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 2 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 40% | 67% |
| General courts-martial | 45% | 65% |
Confinement
10 of the 12 convictions included confinement. The median term was 4 months, the same as the Air Force median. A quarter of the terms were 6 months or longer. All are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Pleas and Full Acquittals
15 of the 17 records list the plea: 7 guilty pleas and 8 contested cases. A contested case has a not-guilty or mixed plea.
5 of the 8 contested cases ended in a full acquittal. Across all 17 cases, the full acquittal rate was 29%, compared with 24% in the Air Force as a whole.
Orders Violations Led the Charge Lists
12 records list charges. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) appeared in 4 (33%), compared with 16% Air Force-wide. Article 134 (the general article) appeared in 3 (25%).
Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 2 cases (17%), lower than the 41% Air Force-wide. Article 93a (prohibited activities with a recruit or trainee) appeared in 1.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 33% | 16% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 25% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 17% | 41% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 17% | 19% |
| Art. 108 Military property; loss, damage, destruction | 1 | 8% | 0% |
| Art. 126 Arson; burning property with intent to defraud | 1 | 8% | 0% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 8% | 11% |
| Art. 93a Prohibited activities with recruit or trainee | 1 | 8% | 0% |
Who Was Tried, and by Whom
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 76% of the accused, compared with 64% in the Air Force as a whole. NCOs were 18% and officers 6%. 11 of the 17 cases were general courts-martial (65%).
A military judge alone decided 11 cases. Members heard 35% of the cases: 4 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels.
RAF Mildenhall and the Air Force Academy
RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases in these years. Their punitive discharge shares were 73% and 7%. Contested cases ended in full acquittal 1 of 7 times at RAF Mildenhall and 3 of 9 times at the Academy.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheppard AFB, Texas | 17 | 53% | 5 of 8 | 4 months | 67% |
| RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20 | 50% | 1 of 7 | 8 months | 73% |
| USAF Academy, Colorado | 20 | 75% | 3 of 9 | 4 months | 7% |
Limits of the Records
Trials ran from February 2019 through October 2023, with the most (6) in 2021. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and leave out evidence, plea terms, and cases handled outside 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 Sheppard AFB, Texas with a trial date in 2019–2023 (17 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, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Sheppard AFB, Texas: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Moody AFB, Georgia Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 17 Cases Show (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
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 29 Cases Show
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Sheppard AFB, Texas, 2019–2023
- Thomas J. Alford
- Jefferson B. Brown
- Christina M. Jimenez
- Shad R. Kidd
- Bradley J. Palmer
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Dayle P. Percle
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Thomas A. Smith
- 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.