Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2016–2018
Minot AFB, North Dakota tried 17 courts-martial in 2016–2018. The median confinement was 1.1 years, compared with 4 months across the Air Force, and 11 of 12 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (92%).
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Minot AFB, North Dakota › 2016–2018
Short answer: Minot AFB, North Dakota tried 17 courts-martial in 2016–2018. The median confinement was 1.1 years, compared with 4 months across the Air Force, and 11 of 12 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (92%). Article 121 (larceny) was charged in 42% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 7% in the rest of the Air Force.
Median Confinement of 1.1 Years
12 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and every one of those sentences included confinement (100%). The median confinement was 1.1 years. In all Air Force cases in those years, the median was 4 months.
A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in a case.
Punitive Discharges for 92% of Convicted Enlisted Members
Among 12 enlisted members convicted, 11 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (92%). In all Air Force cases in those years, the rate was 55%. Of the 11 discharges, 3 were dishonorable.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation at a later date.
General Courts-Martial Were the Norm
Of the 17 cases, 12 were general courts-martial (71%). Across the Air Force, the share was 47%. 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.
Larceny Was Charged More Often
Charges are listed for 12 of the 17 cases. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 5 of them (42%), compared with 7% in the rest of the Air Force. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) appeared in 3 (25%), compared with 16%.
Article 107, Article 134, Article 120, Article 112a, and Article 108 (military property; loss, damage, destruction) were each charged in 2 cases (17%). Drug offenses were less common here than the 48% in the rest of the Air Force. One case can be counted under several articles.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 121 Larceny | 5 | 42% | 7% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 25% | 16% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 17% | 7% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 17% | 25% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 17% | 9% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 17% | 48% |
| Art. 108 Military property; loss, damage, destruction | 2 | 17% | 1% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 8% | 10% |
5 Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal
Of the 17 cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal (29%), compared with 20% in the rest of the Air Force. This rate is measured against all cases, since Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea.
Forum and Rank
Members decided guilt in 35% of the cases with the forum listed: 3 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels. The other 11 were decided by a military judge alone. The accused usually makes this choice.
The accused were 10 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 7 NCOs (E-5 to E-9). No officer was tried. Air Force-wide, 63% of the accused were junior enlisted, so this group was more senior.
Next to Hill AFB and Moody AFB
Hill AFB, Utah and Moody AFB, Georgia each tried 20 Air Force cases in the same years. Their median confinement was 6 months and 4 months. Their punitive discharge rates were 53% and 67%. Minot had the longest median confinement and the highest punitive discharge rate of the 3.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minot AFB, North Dakota | 17 | — | — | 1.1 years | 92% |
| Hill AFB, Utah | 20 | — | — | 6 months | 53% |
| Moody AFB, Georgia | 20 | — | — | 4 months | 67% |
Dates and Gaps
The trials ran from July 2016 to December 2018: 3 in 2016, 7 in 2017, and 7 in 2018. That is 2% of the 991 Air Force courts-martial in those years. All of them came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019.
The records show the charges, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial, and 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 Minot AFB, North Dakota with a trial date in 2016–2018 (17 cases), compared with all 991 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
- Minot AFB, North Dakota: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- What Was Tried at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2019–2023? 39 Courts-Martial (another period)
- Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2024–2026 (another period)
- Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, 2016–2018 (same years, similar size)
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 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 Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2016–2018
- Jefferson B. Brown
- James R. Dorman
- Donald R. Eller Jr.
- James E. Key III
- Mark W. Milam
- Bradley A. Morris
- Andrew R. Norton
- Tom E. Posch
- Matthew D. Talcott
- Brian D. Teter
- Marvin W. Tubbs II
- Matthew S. Ward
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.