What Was Tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2024–2026? 12 Courts-Martial
The records show 12 Air Force courts-martial at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska from March 2024 to August 2026. Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 8 received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska › 2024–2026
Short answer: The records show 12 Air Force courts-martial at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska from March 2024 to August 2026. Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 8 received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 10 months, longer than the Air Force median of 6 months.
Sentences Were Longer Than the Air Force Median
Confinement was part of 9 of the 10 convictions. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 6 months for the Air Force as a whole. Among sentences with confinement, a quarter were 3 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 8 of 10 enlisted convictions: 3 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. Across the Air Force, 62% of convicted enlisted members received one. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge, and general courts-martial made up 75% of these cases (9 of 12).
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
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) were each charged in 3 cases, 27% each. Across the Air Force those shares were 13% and 15%. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 128 (assault) were each charged in 2 cases.
Article 134 (the general article) appears in 1 case, 9% compared with 24% Air Force-wide. A case with several articles is counted under each one.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Pleas and Verdicts
The plea is recorded in 11 cases: 7 guilty pleas and 4 contested cases. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share, 36%, was lower than the 43% for the Air Force as a whole. Of the 4 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 9 of 12 cases (75%). Enlisted panels heard the other 3.
Change From 2019–2023
The installation had 15 cases in 2019–2023 and averaged about 4 a year, the same rate as since 2024. The punitive discharge rate for enlisted convictions went from 20% to 80%. The median confinement went from 4 months to 10 months, and the general court-martial share went from 40% to 75%. Small groups like these can shift with a few cases.
| 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% |
Rank and Peer Installations
The accused were 7 junior enlisted members and 5 NCOs, with no officers. That mix is similar to the Air Force as a whole.
Ramstein AB, Germany (20 cases) and McConnell AFB, Kansas (21 cases) tried a similar number of cases. Their median confinement was 9 months and 3 months.
| 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 and Gaps
There were 4 cases in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 3 in 2026, a partial year. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which cases fell under the new rules.
The records also leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separation. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
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 2024–2026 (12 cases), compared with all 598 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, 2019–2023? 15 Courts-Martial (another period)
- Inside 12 Courts-Martial at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, 2024–2026 (same years, similar size)
- What Was Tried at JBSA - Lackland, Texas, 2024–2026? 13 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, 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.