FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — A Fort Campbell military police sergeant was sentenced to six months in confinement and a bad-conduct discharge after admitting he maltreated two junior Soldiers and assaulted one of them during incidents connected to their work as military police officers.
Sgt. Kaden H. Zhang, assigned to the Fort Campbell Law Enforcement Company, 716th Military Police Battalion, was convicted July 20 at a general court-martial of two counts of cruelty and maltreatment of subordinates and one count of assault consummated by battery.
The case originally included more serious allegations involving unwanted sexual conduct toward two junior female Soldiers while they were working military police duties.
Zhang was not convicted of abusive sexual contact.
As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to the two maltreatment charges and one battery charge. The remaining charges — including three counts of abusive sexual contact — were dismissed before the judge reached findings.
Allegations began during military police patrols
Editor’s note: This version omits specific details from the court filings that are too graphic for our public, advertiser-supported reporting. The complete allegations, as described in the military court records, are available in the full report at The Salty Soldier Uncensored, which carries no advertising.
Court records describe two junior female Soldiers who served under Zhang in Fort Campbell’s military police unit. Both were privates first class, while Zhang was a sergeant assigned to the Fort Campbell Law Enforcement Company, 716th Military Police Battalion.
The encounters were not described as off-duty meetings between Soldiers.
Court filings place Zhang and both junior MPs on duty — patrolling Fort Campbell, responding to calls and driving military police vehicles — when the alleged incidents occurred.
Both encounters took place at Range 21 while the Soldiers were working military police patrols.
Range 21 is on the northwestern side of Fort Campbell, on the Kentucky side of the installation just north of the Tennessee border. It sits near Angel Gate along Angels Road, where the more developed portion of the installation begins giving way to clusters of military training ranges.
The first alleged encounter occurred on May 25, 2024.
According to a defense filing summarizing the allegations, Zhang and one of the junior Soldiers were both on patrol when he told her to follow him to Range 21. They drove there separately in their patrol vehicles.
After arriving, the Soldier alleged Zhang made sexual advances toward her and engaged in unwanted sexual conduct.
Court filings describe allegations that Zhang attempted to initiate sexual contact despite the Soldier pulling away and refusing his advances.
Afterward, the two separated and returned to patrol.
Army prosecutors described the incident similarly, alleging Zhang made unwanted sexual advances and physical contact with the Soldier during the encounter.
Those accusations became part of the criminal case against Zhang, but the abusive-sexual-contact charges connected to the incident were ultimately dismissed.
Second junior MP also followed Zhang to Range 21
A second alleged encounter occurred roughly two months later, during the evening of July 25 and into the morning of July 26, 2024.
Court records again place Zhang and the junior Soldier on patrol at Fort Campbell.
The Soldier had responded to a call for service at the Fort Campbell Soldier Support Center when Zhang texted her and said he would respond as well, even though he had not originally been dispatched to the call.
Afterward, the Soldier said Zhang told her to follow him so he could “put miles on her patrol vehicle.”
She followed Zhang in her patrol vehicle to Range 21.
Once there, the two got out of their separate patrol vehicles and walked toward the ammunition loading tables.
The Soldier later alleged Zhang made sexual advances toward her and initiated unwanted physical contact.
Afterward, they separated and returned to patrol.
As with the May encounter, the allegations describe conduct occurring in the middle of an active military police shift, with Zhang and the junior Soldier returning to law-enforcement duties afterward.
Army prosecutors said both junior Soldiers reported their respective allegations to law enforcement on July 26, 2024.
Zhang originally faced a larger criminal case
The Army initially charged Zhang with offenses under five separate articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
His charge sheet included two allegations involving prohibited relationships with junior Soldiers, two maltreatment charges, three abusive-sexual-contact charges, two assault charges and two allegations of indecent conduct.
Before trial, Zhang’s attorneys argued prosecutors had charged some of the same alleged conduct in multiple ways.
The defense asked the judge to dismiss several charges, arguing that conduct described as abusive sexual contact was also being used to support maltreatment and assault charges.
Army prosecutors disagreed.
They argued the charges addressed different types of misconduct and gave the government alternative charges depending on what the evidence ultimately proved.
Prosecutors argued, for example, that maltreatment could include inappropriate sexual advances and other treatment of a subordinate even if the government could not prove abusive sexual contact.
Abusive sexual contact charges dismissed
By the time the case concluded in July 2026, the scope of the prosecution had changed significantly.
Zhang pleaded guilty to two maltreatment charges.
One involved his conduct toward a junior Soldier between approximately May 15 and May 25, 2024. The conviction states Zhang maltreated her by making sexual advances and assaulting her.
The second involved another junior Soldier on or about July 26, 2024 and likewise states Zhang maltreated a subordinate by making sexual advances and assaulting her.
Zhang also pleaded guilty to assaulting one of the Soldiers during the May 25 encounter.
He pleaded not guilty to all three abusive-sexual-contact charges, and each was dismissed before findings.
The two prohibited-relationship charges, the second battery allegation and both indecent-conduct charges were also dismissed.
That distinction is important: court records contain detailed allegations of sexual misconduct, but Zhang was not convicted of abusive sexual contact or indecent conduct.
Trial delayed after Zhang hired civilian attorney
The case had originally been scheduled for trial in January 2026.
Days before the new year, Zhang’s newly retained civilian attorney, James Phillips, asked the court for additional time to prepare.
The defense said the case involved more than 50 potential witnesses, including law enforcement personnel and forensic experts, and argued there was not enough time for the new attorney to review the evidence, interview witnesses and prepare for trial.
The government did not oppose the request.
The case eventually went before a military judge alone on July 20.
Six months and a bad-conduct discharge
Col. Frederic P. Gallun presided over the court-martial.
Zhang was sentenced to six months in confinement and a bad-conduct discharge. He received no fine or forfeiture of pay, and court records show no credit for time spent in pretrial confinement.
The sentencing worksheet shows Zhang received four months for each maltreatment conviction, with those sentences running at the same time.
He received another two months for the battery conviction, bringing his total confinement to six months.
The circumstances of the case are notable because the encounters described in the court filings unfolded during military police operations.
The records describe junior MPs on patrol, responding to calls, driving patrol vehicles to Range 21 and then returning to law-enforcement duties after the encounters.
Zhang was not convicted of the most serious sexual allegations originally brought against him. He did, however, admit to maltreating two junior Soldiers and assaulting one of them — misconduct that court records place inside the working environment of Fort Campbell’s own military police unit.
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