Travis AFB, California, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
Travis AFB, California held 22 courts-martial in 2019–2023, about 4 a year, compared with 21 in 2016–2018. Drug offenses (Article 112a) were charged in 62% of cases with charges listed, compared with 41% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Travis AFB, California › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Travis AFB, California held 22 courts-martial in 2019–2023, about 4 a year, compared with 21 in 2016–2018. Drug offenses (Article 112a) were charged in 62% of cases with charges listed, compared with 41% across the Air Force. All 16 convictions included confinement, and the median confinement was 3 months.
Drug Charges Were the Most Common
16 of the 22 cases have a charge list. Air Force records rarely list charges when the accused is acquitted of all charges. Of those 16 cases, 10 charged Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances). That is 62%, compared with 41% for all Air Force cases.
No other article was charged in more than 3 cases. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 3 cases. Article 134, Article 128 (assault), and Article 121 (larceny) were each charged in 2. With counts this small, 1 case changes a share by several points. The table is best read as a list of what was charged.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 10 | 62% | 41% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 19% | 11% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 12% | 21% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 12% | 19% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 12% | 4% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 6% | 7% |
| Art. 82 Soliciting | 1 | 6% | 1% |
| Art. 93a Prohibited activities with recruit or trainee | 1 | 6% | 0% |
Every Conviction Included Confinement
16 of the 22 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. All 16 sentences included confinement (100%). The median confinement was 3 months, shorter than the 4 months in the rest of the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 1.5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences. They are the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, not a single offense.
What Changed After 2016–2018?
Travis had 21 cases in 2016–2018, about 7 a year. In 2019–2023 it had about 4 a year, counting full years only. The yearly counts were 2 in 2019, 6 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 5 in 2022, and 5 in 2023.
The median confinement was 45 days in the earlier period and 3 months in the later one. Convictions with confinement were 81% and 100%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 36% and 57%. The general court-martial share was 38% and 59%.
The contested shares cannot be compared, because Air Force records from the earlier years rarely list a guilty plea. In a group this small, a few cases can move any of these figures.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 21 | 22 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 42% |
| Convictions with confinement | 81% | 100% |
| Median confinement | 45 days | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 36% | 57% |
| General courts-martial | 38% | 59% |
Pleas and Full Acquittals
19 records list a plea. 11 show a guilty plea, and 8 show a contested case. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 42%, lower than the 50% for the Air Force as a whole.
6 of the 22 cases ended in a full acquittal (27%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. This rate is measured against all cases, not only contested cases, because older Air Force records often do not list guilty pleas.
Military Judge or Members
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. At Travis, a military judge alone heard 14 cases. An enlisted panel heard 4, and an officer panel heard 4. Members heard 36% of cases, about the same as the 38% in the rest of the Air Force.
Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so this split mostly follows the number of contested cases.
Punitive Discharges and Dismissals
8 of 14 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 5 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. That is 57%, about the same as the 56% for the Air Force overall.
2 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and 1 was sentenced to dismissal. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 12 junior enlisted members, 7 NCOs, and 3 officers. That rank mix is more senior than all Air Force cases. General courts-martial heard 13 cases, and special courts-martial heard 9.
The general court-martial share was 59%, compared with 53% Air Force-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial can adjudge no more than one year of confinement and no dishonorable discharge.
JB Charleston and Barksdale AFB
JB Charleston, South Carolina (22 cases) and Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (23 cases) held a similar number of cases in the same years. The contested shares were similar across the 3 bases, from 40% to 47%.
At Travis, 5 of 8 contested cases with a verdict ended in a full acquittal. At each of the other 2 bases, 4 of 8 did. The median confinement at Travis was 3 months, compared with 2 months at Barksdale and 5 months at Charleston. Travis had the highest punitive discharge rate of the 3 bases.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis AFB, California | 22 | 42% | 5 of 8 | 3 months | 57% |
| JB Charleston, South Carolina | 22 | 47% | 4 of 8 | 5 months | 44% |
| Barksdale AFB, Louisiana | 23 | 40% | 4 of 8 | 2 months | 56% |
What the Records Do Not Show
The records do not show the evidence, any plea agreement, or offense dates. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, or cases closed with no action.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Travis AFB, California in 2016–2018 (21) and 2019–2023 (22).
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
- Travis AFB, California: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 22 Courts-Martial at Travis AFB, California, 2019–2023
- Travis AFB, California Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 21 Cases Show
- Drug Cases at Travis AFB, California: 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2022
- 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 Travis AFB, California, 2019–2023
- Elijah F. Brown
- Colin P. Eichenberger
- Christina M. Jimenez
- James E. Key III
- Brett A. Landry
- Andrew R. Norton
- Jennifer E. Powell
- Rebecca E. Schmidt
- Christopher M. Schumann
- Matthew P. Stoffel
- Jill M. Thomas
- Brian Michael Thompson
- Charles G. Warren
- 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.