Wheeler Army Airfield, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look

Trends › By Installation › Wheeler Army Airfield › Before and after 2024

Based on 54 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Results in Contested Cases

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. 17 contested cases reached a verdict, and 9 ended in a full acquittal (53%). That is higher than the 40% for the Army as a whole. 6 more ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common.

Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 8 cases, and 2 ended in a conviction on that article. For Article 128 (assault), 5 of 9 cases did. For Article 128b (domestic violence), 12 of 15 did. For Article 80 (attempts), 9 of 11 did.

Attempts Were Charged More Often

All 54 records list charges, and each article counts once per case. Article 128b was the most common charge, in 28% of cases, compared with 25% Army-wide. Article 80 appeared in 20% of cases, compared with 8% across the Army. Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 9%, compared with 5%.

Article 134 (the general article) was charged less often: 15% compared with 21%. Article 120 appeared in 15% of cases, compared with 11% for all Army cases.

Median Confinement Was 9 Months

40 of 45 convictions included confinement (89%). The median confinement was 9 months. A quarter of the sentences were 2.5 years or longer. 17 of 45 convictions (38%) had confinement longer than one year, compared with 30% in the rest of the Army.

For a conviction on a single article, the median confinement was 4 months for Article 128b and 2 years for Article 80. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in a case.

2020–2023 Compared With 2024–2026

The earlier period had 75 cases over 4 years, about 19 a year. The later period had about 18 a year. The contested share was 46% in the earlier period and 31% in the later one. Full acquittals in contested cases with a verdict were 12 of 33 and 9 of 17.

The median confinement was 8 months and 9 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 69% and 80%. Convictions with confinement were 88% and 89%. The general court-martial share was 81% and 85%. In small groups, a few cases can move a percentage, so these changes show direction, not precision.

Pleas and Plea Agreements

37 of the 54 accused pleaded guilty, and 17 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 31%, higher than the 21% for the Army overall. 34 of the 37 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement, and 3 have no entry. Army records show whether there was an agreement, but not its terms.

Cases charging Article 80 ended in a guilty plea 64% of the time (7 of 11), the highest among the most common charges. Cases charging Article 128b ended in a guilty plea 53% of the time (8 of 15). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested.

Who Decided Guilt?

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members heard 27% of cases with the forum listed: 9 enlisted panels and 5 officer panels. A military judge alone heard the other 38.

Members heard 13 of 15 contested cases (87%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so this split mostly follows the number of contested cases.

Punitive Discharges, Rank, and Court Level

80% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 18 bad-conduct discharges and 14 dishonorable discharges. Across the Army, the share was 73%. 5 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and 2 were sentenced to dismissal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

The accused were 31 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 18 NCOs, and 5 officers or warrant officers. That rank mix is more junior than the Army as a whole, where 53% were junior enlisted. General courts-martial heard 46 cases, and special courts-martial heard 8. The general share was 85%, compared with 69% Army-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

Fort Knox and Vilseck

Fort Knox (52 cases) and Vilseck (Europe) (61 cases) held a similar number of cases in the same years. Wheeler and Vilseck had similar figures. The contested share was 31% at Wheeler and 30% at Vilseck. The median confinement was 9 months and 8 months. The punitive discharge rate was 80% and 78%.

Fort Knox had a 15% contested share, a median confinement of 2 months, and a 26% punitive discharge rate.

Rule Changes and What the Records Do Not Show

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. The records do not give offense dates, so they cannot separate old-rule cases from new-rule cases.

The records also do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.