Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
Minot AFB, North Dakota had 39 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 17 in 2016–2018. The median confinement in the later period was 8 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Minot AFB, North Dakota › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Minot AFB, North Dakota had 39 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 17 in 2016–2018. The median confinement in the later period was 8 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. Of 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 11 ended in a full acquittal (69%), a higher rate than the 51% Air Force-wide.
Full Acquittals in Contested Cases
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. At Minot, 16 contested cases reached a verdict in 2019–2023. Of those, 11 ended in a full acquittal (69%) and 3 ended in a partial acquittal (19%). A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.
The full-acquittal rate was higher than the 51% across the Air Force in the same years. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears in these records only when an appeals opinion reports it.
Longer Confinement Than the Air Force Median
Of 26 convictions, 25 included confinement (96%). The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 4 months for the rest of the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.2 years or longer.
Sentences of more than 1 year were more common at Minot: 9 of 26 convictions (35%), compared with 23% Air Force-wide. Of those, 8 fell between 1 year and 5 years and 1 was 5 years or more. At the short end, 12 convictions (46%) carried under 6 months, close to the 50% elsewhere in the Air Force.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 1 | 4% | 12% |
| Under 6 months | 12 | 46% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 15% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 31% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 6% |
General and Special Courts-Martial
General courts-martial heard 23 of the 39 cases (59%), compared with 53% Air Force-wide and 71% at Minot in 2016–2018. 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 and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Results differed by court level. At general courts-martial, 55% of cases were contested and the median confinement was 1.2 years. At the 16 special courts-martial, 38% were contested and the median confinement was 57 days.
What Changed After 2016–2018
The earlier period had 17 cases, about 6 a year. From March 2019 through December 2023, the records show 39 cases, about 8 a year. By year there were 5 cases in 2019, 8 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 10 in 2022, and 10 in 2023.
The median confinement was 1.1 years in 2016–2018 and 8 months in 2019–2023. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 92% to 68%. With groups this size, a few cases can move a percentage by a large amount.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 17 | 39 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 48% |
| Convictions with confinement | 100% | 96% |
| Median confinement | 1.1 years | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 92% | 68% |
| General courts-martial | 71% | 59% |
Bad-Conduct and Dishonorable Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 68% of enlisted convictions in 2019–2023: 11 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges. Across the Air Force, the share was 56%. 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.
Article 134 Charged More Often, Drug Cases Less Often
Charges are listed in 25 of the 39 records. Air Force records rarely list charges when the result is a full acquittal, so these shares mostly describe cases with a conviction.
Article 134, the general article, was charged in 9 cases (36%), compared with 21% Air Force-wide. Article 112a, the drug article, was charged in 24% of cases, lower than the 41% Air Force-wide. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 16%, compared with 5%, and Article 121 (larceny) in 12%, compared with 4%. 1 case charged Article 130, which covered housebreaking before 2019 and stalking since.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 36% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 24% | 41% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 4 | 16% | 5% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 12% | 4% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 12% | 19% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 12% | 16% |
| Art. 115 Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 2 | 8% | 4% |
| Art. 130 Housebreaking before 2019, stalking since | 1 | 4% | 1% |
Pleas and Who Decided Guilt
Of the 33 records that list a plea, 17 were guilty pleas and 16 were contested. The contested share, 48%, was about the same as the 50% across the Air Force.
A military judge alone decided 28 cases. Members heard 26% of the cases: 8 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. Among the 16 contested cases, members heard 8 (50%). The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.
Rank of the Accused and Similar Bases
The accused were 29 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 8 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. That group is more junior than the Air Force as a whole, where 64% of the accused were junior enlisted.
JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey tried 39 cases and Ramstein AB, Germany tried 38 in the same years. Minot had a longer median confinement (8 months) than either base, at 6 months and 5 months. Its punitive discharge rate, 68%, was also higher than their 50% and 43%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minot AFB, North Dakota | 39 | 48% | 11 of 16 | 8 months | 68% |
| JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey | 39 | 42% | 11 of 15 | 6 months | 50% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 38 | 61% | 9 of 19 | 5 months | 43% |
Limits of the Records
The records cover courts-martial only. They leave out nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases where no action was taken. They do not describe the evidence, the plea terms, or the offense dates, and Air Force records never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Minot AFB, North Dakota in 2016–2018 (17) and 2019–2023 (39).
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
- Minot AFB, North Dakota: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- What Was Tried at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2019–2023? 39 Courts-Martial
- Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2016–2018
- Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2024–2026
- Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- 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 Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2019–2023
- Thomas J. Alford
- William J. Annexstad
- Tiny L. Bowman
- Jefferson B. Brown
- Bryon T. Gleisner
- Elizabeth M. Hernandez
- Christopher D. James
- Shad R. Kidd
- Brian C. Mason
- Bradley A. Morris
- Andrew R. Norton
- Bradley J. Palmer
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Dayle P. Percle
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Thomas A. Smith
- Charles G. Warren
- 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.