Did Assault Cases at Vilseck (Europe) Change After 2024?

Trends › By Installation › Vilseck (Europe) › Article 128

Based on 22 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Assault Cases Were 36% of Vilseck's Courts-Martial

The 22 assault cases tried from February 2024 to October 2026 are 36% of all courts-martial at Vilseck (Europe) in those years (61 cases). By year, the counts were 2024: 6, 2025: 10, and 2026: 6. 2026 is a partial year.

In 2021–2023, Vilseck had 16 Article 128 cases, about 5 a year. Since then it has had about 8 a year, counting full years only. The records give only trial dates, so they cannot show when the incidents took place.

2021–2023 Compared With 2024–2026

The contested share was 50% in the earlier period and 36% in the later one. The median confinement was 10 months and 7 months. Convictions with confinement were 85% and 95%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 77% and 84%. The general court-martial share was 69% and 64%.

Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 3 of 8 in both periods. In small groups, a few cases can move a percentage, so these changes show direction, not precision.

Punitive Discharges

A punitive discharge means a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. Of 19 enlisted members convicted at Vilseck, 16 got one (84%), higher than the 72% for all Army Article 128 cases. Only 1 was dishonorable. A dishonorable discharge requires a general court-martial.

Members whose sentence had no punitive discharge can still be administratively separated later. Those separations are outside these records.

How Much Confinement Followed a Conviction?

At least one guilty finding came in 19 cases. Confinement was part of the sentence in 18 of them (95%). The median term was 7 months. For all Army Article 128 cases in 2024–2026, the median was 6 months. At the long end, a quarter of the terms were 2.8 years or longer.

The figures are adjudged sentences, meaning what the court announced. Any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal came later. One sentence covers all the charges in a case, and many of these cases charged more than assault.

Other Charges in Assault Cases

In 9 of 22 cases, assault was charged by itself. In the rest, at least 1 more article was charged. Article 128b (domestic violence) and Article 90 (disobeying an officer) were in 4 cases each. Article 120 (sexual assault), Article 92 (orders violations), and Article 134 (the general article) were in 3 cases each.

An assault count charged next to sexual assault or domestic violence can be part of the same incident, and the sentence then reflects the whole case.

Pleas, Plea Agreements, and Who Decided Guilt

In a contested case, the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 22 accused, 8 contested and 14 pleaded guilty. The 36% contested share compares with 29% in the rest of the Army. Each of the 14 guilty pleas is recorded with a plea agreement. Army records note that an agreement existed, not what it said.

In most cases, the accused picks a military judge alone or a panel of members to decide guilt. Judge-alone trials were 16 of 22 (73%). Enlisted panels heard the other 6. No officer panel heard a case. Guilty pleas make up most judge-alone cases.

Rank and Court Level

By rank, 59% of the accused were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 41% were NCOs. None were officers. In all Army Article 128 cases, the junior enlisted share was 55%.

Of the 22 cases, 14 were general courts-martial (64%). In all Army Article 128 cases, the share was 75%. Any lawful sentence is available at a general court-martial. At a special court-martial, confinement is capped at one year and a dishonorable discharge is not available.

Special Trial Counsel and Sentencing Rules

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Commanders no longer make that decision. Assault under Article 128 is not on the covered list, but special trial counsel can take a related assault charge along with a covered offense, such as an assault tied to a domestic violence allegation.

If every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, new sentencing parameters apply. Both changes turn on offense dates, and the records give none, so the 2024–2026 trials include cases under both sets of rules. The records cannot show whether either change caused the shifts above.

What the Records Do Not Show

Only court-martial cases are counted. Assaults handled by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not. Evidence and plea terms are not described.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025

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.