10 Drug Courts-Martial at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, 2016–2018: What the Records Show

Trends › By Installation › Whiteman AFB, Missouri › Article 112a, 2016–2018

Based on 10 cases · 2016–2018 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Drug Cases Were a Large Share of Whiteman's Courts-Martial

The 10 cases were 43% of the 23 courts-martial at Whiteman AFB, Missouri in 2016–2018. The trials ran from March 2016 to September 2018: 6 in 2016, 2 in 2017, and 2 in 2018.

Longer Confinement Than the Air Force Median

All 10 convictions included confinement (100%). The median term was 6 months, longer than the 3 months median in Air Force Article 112a cases. A quarter of the terms were 9 months or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case, including any non-drug charges.

Bad-Conduct Discharges

Of the enlisted members convicted, 60% received a punitive discharge. All 6 were bad-conduct discharges, and none was dishonorable. Air Force-wide, 45% of enlisted Article 112a convictions included a punitive discharge.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

More General Courts-Martial Than the Air Force

Whiteman held 3 general and 7 special courts-martial for these charges. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The general share was 30%, compared with 16% in Air Force Article 112a cases. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

By rank, 9 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) and 1 was an NCO (E-5 to E-9). The group is more junior than Air Force-wide, where 80% were junior enlisted.

Officer Panels in 4 Cases

Members heard 40% of the cases with the forum listed, and all 4 were officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 6. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.

Other Charges

Article 112a was the only charge in 6 of the 10 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 3 cases. Article 111 (drunken or reckless driving) and Article 134 (general article) appeared in 2 each, and Article 86 (AWOL) and Article 128 (assault) in 1 each.

Before the 2019 Rules

These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. That law later set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. None of those rules applied here.

Gaps in the Records

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included. Air Force records never report plea agreements, and from 2016 to 2019 they rarely list a guilty plea, so this page does not report a contested share.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 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.