Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
Minot AFB, North Dakota had 17 courts-martial from February 2024 through June 2026, compared with 39 in 2019–2023. A punitive discharge followed 71% of enlisted convictions, compared with 62% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Minot AFB, North Dakota › Before and after 2024
Short answer: Minot AFB, North Dakota had 17 courts-martial from February 2024 through June 2026, compared with 39 in 2019–2023. A punitive discharge followed 71% of enlisted convictions, compared with 62% across the Air Force. Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 11 of 16 in the earlier period to 3 of 8.
Fewer Full Acquittals Than in 2019–2023
Of the 16 records that list a plea, 8 were guilty pleas and 8 were contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share, 50%, compares with 43% Air Force-wide and 48% at Minot in 2019–2023.
Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal. In 2019–2023, 11 of 16 did.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 39 | 17 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 48% | 50% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 11 of 16 | 3 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 96% | 93% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 68% | 71% |
| General courts-martial | 59% | 65% |
Punitive Discharges
Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 10 received a punitive discharge: 4 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges. The share, 71%, compares with 62% Air Force-wide and 68% at Minot in 2019–2023. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Confinement
Of 14 convictions, 13 included confinement. The median was 7 months, close to the 6 months Air Force-wide and the 8 months at Minot in 2019–2023. A quarter of the terms were 3 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Charges
Charges are listed in 15 of the 17 records. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 4 cases (27%), compared with 24% Air Force-wide. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 128b (domestic violence) each appeared in 3 cases (20%), compared with 16% and 15%. Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle) appeared in 2 cases (13%), compared with 5%.
Article 112a (drugs) appeared in 1 case (7%), compared with 20% Air Force-wide.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 27% | 24% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 20% | 15% |
| Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 2 | 13% | 5% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 13% | 13% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 13% | 13% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 1 | 7% | 8% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 1 | 7% | 20% |
Rank, Court Level, and Forum
The accused were 14 junior enlisted members and 3 NCOs, with no officers. The group is more junior than the rest of the Air Force.
General courts-martial heard 11 of the 17 cases (65%), compared with 56% Air Force-wide. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A military judge alone decided 13 cases. Members heard 24%: 3 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. Across the Air Force, members heard 28%.
Case Counts and Peers
The records show 10 cases in 2024, 4 in 2025, and 3 so far in 2026, a partial year. That is about 7 a year, compared with about 8 a year in 2019–2023.
Ramstein AB, Germany tried 20 cases and McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 21 in the same years. Ramstein had 3 full acquittals in 10 decided contested cases and McConnell had 1 in 3. Their median confinement was 9 months and 3 months.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minot AFB, North Dakota | 17 | 50% | 3 of 8 | 7 months | 71% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
Rule Changes and Missing Information
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. For offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new parameters. The records give trial dates only, so they cannot show which rules applied in a given case.
The evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, and administrative separations are not in these records.
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 2019–2023 (39) and 2024–2026 (17).
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, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: 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, 2024–2026
- Kirk W. Albertson
- Nathan Rick Allred
- David Michael Cisek
- Kasey W. Hawkins
- Elizabeth M. Hernandez
- Bradley J. Palmer
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Nathan D. Royer
- Brian Michael Thompson
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.