JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
At JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 20% in 2019–2023 to 80% in 2024–2026, compared with 62% across the Air Force. The median confinement went from 4 months to 10 months.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska › Before and after 2024
Short answer: At JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 20% in 2019–2023 to 80% in 2024–2026, compared with 62% across the Air Force. The median confinement went from 4 months to 10 months. General courts-martial heard 9 of the 12 later cases (75%), compared with 40% in the earlier period.
More Dishonorable Discharges
Of 10 convicted enlisted members in 2024–2026, 8 received a punitive discharge (80%). Of those 8, 5 were dishonorable discharges and 3 were bad-conduct discharges. In 2019–2023 the share at the base was 20%, and in 2024–2026 the Air Force share was 62%.
A dishonorable discharge can be adjudged only at a general court-martial. A bad-conduct discharge can come from a general or special court-martial. Without a punitive discharge, a member can still be separated administratively.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 15 | 12 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 6 of 9 | 36% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 6 | 1 of 4 |
| Convictions with confinement | 73% | 90% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 10 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 20% | 80% |
| General courts-martial | 40% | 75% |
Longer Confinement
There were 10 convictions on at least one charge, and 9 included confinement (90%). In 2019–2023, 73% of convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 4 months at the base earlier and 6 months across the Air Force.
A quarter of the terms with confinement were 3 years or longer. All of these are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in its case.
General Courts-Martial in 9 of 12 Cases
General courts-martial, which can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, heard 75% of the cases (9 of 12). In 2019–2023 the share was 40%. Special courts-martial heard the rest of the 2024–2026 cases.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 58% of the accused and NCOs were 42%. No officers were tried. That is the same junior enlisted share as in the rest of the Air Force, 58%.
Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Charges
Charges are listed for 11 of the 12 cases. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) and Article 128b (domestic violence) each appeared in 3 of them (27%). In the rest of the Air Force, those shares were 13% and 15%.
Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 2 cases (18%). Article 80 (attempts), Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle), Article 131b (obstructing justice), and Article 134 (the general article) each appeared in 1. The Article 134 share, 9%, was lower than the 24% elsewhere in the Air Force, and the Article 80 share was higher than the 2% elsewhere.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 27% | 13% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 27% | 15% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 18% | 16% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 18% | 13% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 1 | 9% | 2% |
| Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 1 | 9% | 5% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 9% | 3% |
| Art. 134 General article | 1 | 9% | 24% |
Fewer Contested Cases
Of the 11 records that list a plea, 7 were guilty pleas and 4 were contested. The contested share was 36%, lower than the 43% across the Air Force. In 2019–2023, 6 of 9 recorded pleas at the base were contested.
Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 of 4 ended in a full acquittal, compared with 3 of 6 in 2019–2023.
Who Decided Guilt
A military judge alone decided 9 cases. Enlisted panels decided 3, and there were 0 officer panels. Members heard 25% of the cases, compared with 28% Air Force-wide. The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or members decide guilt.
Case Counts and Similar Bases
From March 2024 to August 2026 the base had 4 cases in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 3 in 2026, a partial year. In 2019–2023 it had 15 cases. Counting full years only, both periods average about 4 a year. In groups this small, a few cases can change any percentage by a large amount.
Ramstein AB, Germany (20 cases) and McConnell AFB, Kansas (21 cases) had similar counts. Ramstein had a 65% punitive discharge rate and a 9 months median confinement. McConnell had 44% and 3 months. The contested share was 59% at Ramstein and 21% at McConnell, compared with 36% here.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska | 12 | 36% | 1 of 4 | 10 months | 80% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
Rules That Changed at the End of 2023
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether covered offenses are prosecuted. Covered offenses include sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder, and commanders made the decision before. Also, a case in which every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023 is sentenced by the military judge within new sentencing parameters.
The records give trial dates only. They cannot show which cases were under the new rules or whether the changes affected any figure here.
Limits of the Data
Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not counted. The evidence and the plea terms are not described. 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 2019–2023 (15) and 2024–2026 (12).
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, 2024–2026
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.