JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
Punitive discharges at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska went from 65% of convicted enlisted members in 2016–2018 to 20% in 2019–2023, compared with 56% across the Air Force. The base also had fewer cases: 26 in 2016–2018 and 15 in 2019–2023.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Punitive discharges at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska went from 65% of convicted enlisted members in 2016–2018 to 20% in 2019–2023, compared with 56% across the Air Force. The base also had fewer cases: 26 in 2016–2018 and 15 in 2019–2023. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as the Air Force median.
Punitive Discharges for 2 of 10 Enlisted Members
Among 10 convicted enlisted members in 2019–2023, 2 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (20%). Neither was a dishonorable discharge. In 2016–2018, 65% of convicted enlisted members at the base received a punitive discharge. Across the Air Force in 2019–2023, the share was 56%.
1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in the records and was dismissed. For officers, dismissal takes the place of a punitive discharge. Members whose sentence had no punitive discharge may still have faced administrative separation, which these records do not cover.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 26 | 15 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 6 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 80% | 73% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 65% | 20% |
| General courts-martial | 62% | 40% |
Fewer Cases Each Year
The 15 cases ran from February 2019 to December 2023. By year there were 5 in 2019, 4 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 0 in 2022, and 4 in 2023. In 2016–2018 the base had 26 cases. Counting full years only, that is about 9 a year before 2019 and about 4 a year after.
Small groups can shift by large percentages when only a few cases change. The comparisons on this page show direction, not precise rates.
Confinement in 8 of 11 Convictions
Of 11 convictions, 8 included confinement (73%), compared with 80% in 2016–2018. The median confinement was 4 months, down from 6 months in the earlier period and equal to the Air Force median. A quarter of the terms with confinement were 9 months or longer.
These are adjudged sentences. The figures are what the court-martial announced, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each sentence covers all charges in the case.
Charges in the Listed Cases
Charge lists exist for 11 of the 15 cases. Article 112a, which covers wrongful use and possession of controlled substances, appeared in 5 (45%), compared with 41% across the Air Force.
Article 128 (assault) and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) each appeared in 2 cases (18%). The Article 120 share was higher than the 11% Air Force-wide. Article 115, Article 128b (domestic violence), Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer), Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation), and Article 93 (cruelty and maltreatment) each appeared in 1. Article 115 covered malingering before 2019 and communicating threats since. The Article 92 share, 9%, was lower than the 16% Air Force-wide.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 45% | 41% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 18% | 19% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 18% | 11% |
| Art. 115 Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 1 | 9% | 4% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 1 | 9% | 5% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 1 | 9% | 2% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 1 | 9% | 16% |
| Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment | 1 | 9% | 1% |
Full Acquittals and Pleas
Of the 15 cases, 4 ended in a full acquittal (27%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. This rate uses all cases as its base, since Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 seldom list a guilty plea.
The plea is listed in 9 records, and 6 of those 9 were contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 of 6 ended in a full acquittal.
Officer Panels and Judge-Alone Trials
Members heard 33% of cases with the forum listed: 1 enlisted panel and 4 officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 10. The accused usually makes the choice between a judge alone and a panel.
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 9 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 4 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. Across the Air Force, 64% of the accused were junior enlisted, so this group was more senior.
There were 6 general courts-martial and 9 special courts-martial. The general share of 40% was lower than the 53% in the rest of the Air Force and the 62% at the base in 2016–2018. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Similar Bases
RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases in these years. The punitive discharge rate was 73% at RAF Mildenhall and 7% at the Academy. The Academy had the same 4 months median confinement, and RAF Mildenhall had 8 months. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, RAF Mildenhall had 1 of 7 end in a full acquittal and the Academy had 3 of 9.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska | 15 | 6 of 9 | 3 of 6 | 4 months | 20% |
| RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20 | 50% | 1 of 7 | 8 months | 73% |
| USAF Academy, Colorado | 20 | 75% | 3 of 9 | 4 months | 7% |
Limits
Only cases that reached a court-martial are counted. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms and do not give offense dates. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska in 2016–2018 (26) and 2019–2023 (15).
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 26 Courts-Martial at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018
- What Was Tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2019–2023? 15 Courts-Martial
- What Was Tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2024–2026? 12 Courts-Martial
- Drug Charges at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences
- Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2019–2023
- Elijah F. Brown
- Colin P. Eichenberger
- Tobin C. Griffeth
- Andrew R. Norton
- Jennifer E. Powell
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Rebecca E. Schmidt
- Christopher M. Schumann
- Matthew P. Stoffel
- Brian Michael Thompson
- Charles E. Wiedie Jr.
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
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.