Air Force Article 92 Cases in 2024
In the 28 Air Force courts-martial charging Article 92 (orders violation) in 2024, only 33% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% across all Air Force cases. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 5 months across the service.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 92 › Air Force, 2024
Short answer: In the 28 Air Force courts-martial charging Article 92 (orders violation) in 2024, only 33% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% across all Air Force cases. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 5 months across the service. No confinement was imposed in 8 convictions (30%).
A Low Punitive Discharge Rate
Of 21 enlisted members convicted in orders violation cases in 2024, 7 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Of those 7, 3 were dishonorable. The rate of 33% is much lower than the 62% for the Air Force as a whole. It is slightly lower than the 36% for orders violation cases in 2023.
Officers are dismissed rather than discharged. This group had 6 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge or dismissal does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
Many Officers and NCOs
By rank, the accused were 11 junior enlisted members, 11 NCOs, and 6 officers. The group was more senior than all Air Force cases in 2024. An officer can be dismissed but cannot receive a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. The enlisted rate of 33% therefore covers only the 21 enlisted convictions. The 2 dismissals are counted separately.
Short Sentences or No Confinement
The records show 27 cases ending in a conviction on at least one charge, and 19 of those sentences included confinement (70%). The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 5 months for all Air Force cases. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer.
No confinement was imposed in 8 convictions (30%), compared with 17% across the service. Sentences under 6 months came in 13 (48%), about the same as the 44% Air Force share. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 8 | 30% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 13 | 48% | 44% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 7% | 11% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 11% | 22% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 6% |
Longer Sentences and Court Level
Confinement longer than one year came in 4 of 27 convictions (15%), compared with 28% for the Air Force. Of those, 3 were between 1 and 5 years and 1 was 5 years or more.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year. General courts-martial made up 46% of these cases (13 of 28). Their median confinement was 4 months, compared with 2 months for the 15 special courts-martial. The contested shares were about the same: 31% at general courts-martial and 33% at special courts-martial.
Pleas and Who Decided Guilt
Of 25 cases with a plea recorded, 17 accused pleaded guilty and 8 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 32%, lower than the 45% for all Air Force cases in 2024.
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 21 of 28 cases (75%). Members heard 7: 4 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels.
Other Charges in the Same Case
Article 92 was the only charge in 7 of the 28 cases. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 8. Article 134 (general article) and Article 128b (domestic violence, numbered since 2019) appeared in 5 each. Article 115 (communicating threats) appeared in 4, and Article 86 (AWOL) in 3. The sentence figures cover all of these charges together.
Changes From 2023 to 2024
The number of cases was 27 in 2023 and 28 in 2024. The median confinement was 50 days in 2023 and 2 months in 2024. The share of convictions with any confinement was 78% and then 70%. The contested share was 33% and then 32%. The enlisted punitive discharge rate was 36% and then 33%. The general court-martial share was 33% and then 46%. In small groups, a few cases can change these figures.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 27 | 28 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 32% |
| Convictions with confinement | 78% | 70% |
| Median confinement | 50 days | 2 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 36% | 33% |
| General courts-martial | 33% | 46% |
The December 2023 Changes
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. Trials in 2024 therefore include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot show whether the changes affected these figures.
Installations and Gaps
JBSA - Lackland, Texas, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, and Osan AB, South Korea, tried 2 cases each. FE Warren AFB, Wyoming, and RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, tried 1 each. Together they account for 29% of the cases.
Air Force records rarely list charges in a full acquittal, so no Article 92 acquittal rate is given. The records also do not include evidence, plea terms, or nonjudicial punishment.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 92 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in 2024 that charged Article 92 (28 cases), compared with all Air Force cases that year and with 2023.
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
- Article 92 (Failure to Obey Order or Regulation): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Air Force Article 92 Cases in 2023 (previous / next)
- How Air Force Orders Violation Cases Ended in 2025 (previous / next)
- Air Force Article 92 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025 (the full trend)
- Air Force Article 92 Cases in 2021
- How Air Force Orders Violation Cases Ended in 2020
- How Air Force Orders Violation Cases Ended in 2022
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Orders Violation Conviction?
- Article 92 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.