What Was Tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2019–2023? 15 Courts-Martial
JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska had 15 Air Force courts-martial from 2019 to 2023, 1% of the 1,361 Air Force cases in those years. A punitive discharge followed 2 of 10 enlisted convictions (20%), compared with 56% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska › 2019–2023
Short answer: JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska had 15 Air Force courts-martial from 2019 to 2023, 1% of the 1,361 Air Force cases in those years. A punitive discharge followed 2 of 10 enlisted convictions (20%), compared with 56% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as the Air Force median.
Few Punitive Discharges
Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 2 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (20%). Neither was a dishonorable discharge. Across the Air Force in those years, 56% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed, which is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Compared With 2016–2018
In 2016–2018 the installation had 26 cases, about 9 a year. From 2019 on it averaged about 4 a year. The yearly counts were 5 in 2019, 4 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 0 in 2022, and 4 in 2023.
The punitive discharge rate for convicted enlisted members went from 65% to 20%. The median confinement went from 6 months to 4 months, and general courts-martial went from 62% of cases to 40%. With groups this small, a few cases either way can move these figures.
| 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% |
Confinement
Confinement was part of 73% of the 11 convictions. The median confinement was 4 months. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each one covers every charge in the case.
Acquittals and Contested Cases
Of the 15 cases, 4 ended in a full acquittal (27%), compared with 24% in the rest of the Air Force. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so this figure counts acquittals against all cases.
The plea is recorded for 9 cases, and 6 of those were contested. Of those 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal.
Charges Listed
Charges are listed for 11 of the 15 cases. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 5 of them, 45% compared with 41% Air Force-wide. Article 128 (assault) and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) were each charged in 2 cases. Every other article appears once. A case with several articles is counted under each one.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Rank, Court Level, and Forum
The accused included 9 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 4 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. That mix is more senior than the Air Force as a whole, where 64% were junior enlisted. General courts-martial made up 6 of the 15 cases (40%).
A military judge alone decided guilt in 10 of the 15 cases (67%). Members heard 5: 1 enlisted panel and 4 officer panels.
Installations of Similar Size
RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases in the same years. A punitive discharge followed 73% of enlisted convictions at Mildenhall and 7% at the Academy. The median confinement was 8 months at Mildenhall and 4 months at the Academy.
| 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 of the Records
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separation, and they do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska with a trial date in 2019–2023 (15 cases), compared with all 1,361 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 26 Courts-Martial at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018 (another period)
- What Was Tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2024–2026? 12 Courts-Martial (another period)
- JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases (same years, similar size)
- What Was Tried at Eglin AFB, Florida, 2019–2023? 16 Courts-Martial (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- 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.