Senate committee asks Congress to review SOFA and Lt. Ridge Alconis case

The State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee approved House Concurrent Resolution 1002 on Jan. 19, 2025, which calls on the U.S. Congress and the National Security Council to review the status-of-forces agreement (SOFA) and the circumstances surrounding the investigation and trial of Lieutenant Ridge Alconis in Japan.

Supporters told the committee the alleged facts of the case: on May 29, 2021, the family said Alconis blacked out while descending Mount Fuji; two Japanese nationals later died from their injuries. Sponsors said Alconis was arrested, held in solitary confinement for 26 days, denied medical treatment and legal counsel, and later convicted of negligence. An examining physician described a possible altitude-related medical episode; supporters said an appeals court upheld the conviction and Alconis began serving a three-year sentence the previous August. The sponsor and members said they want Congress and the Department of Defense to investigate whether SOFA violations affected his treatment.

Senator Peyton and others asked whether federal officials had already reviewed the particulars; sponsors said members of Congress and several senators had written on the family's behalf and that an amendment was added to a year-end federal bill to continue some Navy benefits. Representative Eubanks and other speakers emphasized the family's ties to Arkansas and asked the committee to show support. Senator Tucker moved the resolution, Senator Dodson seconded, and the committee approved it by voice vote.

The resolution requests a federal review; it does not change state criminal law or compel federal action. Committee members who raised procedural and legal questions asked that supporters pursue clarifying information with federal authorities and follow up on reports of any SOFA violations.