Tyndall's 08' legal statistics

  • Published
  • By Capt. Cary Hawkins
  • 325th Fighter Wing Legal Office
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The two largest and most public faces of military justice in the Air Force are Article 15s, administrative discharges and the courts-Martial.

Each of these has profound and often severe consequences on the career of the Airmen involved, so each Airman must take care to hold themselves to the highest standards in order to avoid a sudden end to what could have been a fulfilling career. With 2008 closed out behind Tyndall Air Force Base, it is a perfect time to review the justice world here in order to remind us all that we must adhere to the standards and regulations of the Air Force at all times.

There were 66 Article 15s given at Tyndall AFB over the course of 2008. The top reason, with 20 offenses, was those dealing with alcohol. Underage drinking and driving under the influence were the top two violations within that group. Alcohol was followed closely by "failure to go," with 16 offenses, combining for more than half of the Article 15s given in 2008.

There were 26 administrative discharges processed during 2008. The top foundations for discharge included drug use, failure to maintain physical fitness standards, disciplinary infractions, and dishonorable involvement with military or civilian authorities.

It's important to take special notice of the inclusion of, "failure to maintain physical fitness standards." in the list of foundational reasons for an administrative discharge. As everyone is aware, the physical fitness standards are a topic of much debate and discussion, and will almost certainly be raised to a more rigorous level in the coming years.

We must also consider the fact in conjunction with an increased emphasis being placed on physical fitness standards by commanders, as well as an increased willingness by commanders to use the administrative discharge process to remove those who fail to maintain good physical fitness. This is not the first time that an administrative discharge was used to remove an unfit member, and with the fresh prominence of physical fitness on our horizon it will not be the last either. We should all be aware that an emphasis on maintaining physical fitness standards will amount to an increased emphasis and use of the administrative discharge process to separate a member who does not meet the standards.

When comparing the figures for 2008 with those of 2007, it is noted that Tyndall has remained steady with the number of courts-martials, incurred a slight rise in Article 15s and experienced a decrease in administrative discharges.