Malmstrom AFB, Montana Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 13 Cases Show
Malmstrom AFB, Montana held 13 courts-martial from 2019–2023. The median confinement was 8 months, longer than the 4 months across the Air Force, and only 1 of the 13 cases ended in a full acquittal (8%).
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Malmstrom AFB, Montana › 2019–2023
Short answer: Malmstrom AFB, Montana held 13 courts-martial from 2019–2023. The median confinement was 8 months, longer than the 4 months across the Air Force, and only 1 of the 13 cases ended in a full acquittal (8%). A punitive discharge followed 50% of enlisted convictions, compared with 56% Air Force-wide.
Longer Confinement Than the Air Force Median
Of the 13 cases, 12 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 9 of those sentences (75%). The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 4 months in all Air Force cases in those years.
A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each one covers every charge in the case.
Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial
General courts-martial made up 69% of the cases (9 of 13), and special courts-martial made up the rest. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year.
One Full Acquittal
Only 1 of the 13 cases ended in a full acquittal (8%). In the rest of the Air Force the rate was 24%. Because Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list guilty pleas, this rate uses all cases as the base.
Pleas are recorded for 9 of the 13 cases, and 6 of those 9 were contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.
Drug Offenses and the General Article
Charge lists cover 12 of the 13 cases, and a case is counted under each article it lists. Article 112a (drug use or possession) and Article 134 (the general article) were each charged in 4 cases, or 33%. The drug share was lower than the 41% Air Force-wide. The Article 134 share was higher than the 21% Air Force-wide.
Article 107 (false official statements) was charged in 2 cases (17%), compared with 6% in the Air Force. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) and Article 128 (assault) were each charged in 2 cases as well.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 33% | 41% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 33% | 21% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 17% | 11% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 17% | 6% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 17% | 19% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 1 | 8% | 16% |
| Art. 114 Dueling before 2019, endangerment since | 1 | 8% | 1% |
| Art. 115 Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 1 | 8% | 4% |
Discharges and Dismissals
A punitive discharge followed 50% of the enlisted convictions: 2 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. The Air Force rate was 56%. Of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed, which is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.
Most Cases Were Tried Without a Panel
A military judge alone decided guilt in 10 of the 13 cases (77%). Members heard 3: 1 enlisted panel and 2 officer panels. The accused usually makes this choice.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 62% of the accused, NCOs 23%, and officers 15%. Across the Air Force, junior enlisted members were 64%.
Changes From 2016–2018
In 2016–2018 Malmstrom had 12 cases, about 4 a year, compared with about 3 a year in 2019–2023. The median confinement went from 4 months to 8 months. The punitive discharge rate went from 40% to 50%, and the general court-martial share went from 50% to 69%. With groups this small, a few cases can move each figure.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 12 | 13 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 6 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 80% | 75% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 40% | 50% |
| General courts-martial | 50% | 69% |
Other Installations, and What Is Missing
RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 Air Force cases in the same years. Mildenhall had the same median confinement, 8 months, and a punitive discharge rate of 73%. The Academy had a median of 4 months and a rate of 7%.
The cases ran from March 2019 to May 2023, with none in 2020. They are 1% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years. The records do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations, and they do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malmstrom AFB, Montana | 13 | 6 of 9 | 1 of 6 | 8 months | 50% |
| RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20 | 50% | 1 of 7 | 8 months | 73% |
| USAF Academy, Colorado | 20 | 75% | 3 of 9 | 4 months | 7% |
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Malmstrom AFB, Montana with a trial date in 2019–2023 (13 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
- Malmstrom AFB, Montana: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- What Was Tried at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, 2016–2018? 12 Courts-Martial (another period)
- Inside 12 Courts-Martial at Dover AFB, Delaware, 2019–2023 (same years, similar size)
- Maxwell AFB, Alabama, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 14 Cases (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
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, 2019–2023
- Elijah F. Brown
- Colin P. Eichenberger
- Christina M. Jimenez
- Brett A. Landry
- Brian C. Mason
- Matthew N. McCall
- Jennifer E. Powell
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Rebecca E. Schmidt
- Christopher M. Schumann
- Matthew P. Stoffel
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.