Attempt at Army Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 80 › Army, 2025

Based on 32 cases · 2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Sentences Were Longer Than One Year

Sentences longer than one year were 17 of 30 convictions (57%), compared with 30% for the Army as a whole. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were 12 convictions (40%), compared with 18% Army-wide. 5 were 5 years or more.

Only 1 conviction was 6 months to 1 year. 9 convictions (30%) were under 6 months, and 3 had no confinement.

Median Confinement of 1.7 Years

Confinement was part of 90% of the 30 convictions. The median confinement was 1.7 years. A quarter of the sentences were 3.5 years or longer. The group also includes 1 life sentence.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in a case. In 2024, the median for attempt cases was 11 months.

Rank of the Accused

Officers were 16% of the accused. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 44% and NCOs were 41%. Across the Army in 2025, junior enlisted members were 50%.

Of 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 4 were sentenced to dismissal. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Officers and warrant officers cannot receive a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge.

Punitive Discharges for Enlisted Members

Of 25 convicted enlisted members, 21 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (84%). Of those, 9 were dishonorable discharges. The share in 2024 was 96%.

The 2025 share is based on 25 enlisted convictions, so a few cases can change it by several points. The records do not show the reason for the change. The 2025 share was still higher than the share for the Army as a whole.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not cover administrative separations.

Guilty Pleas, Agreements, and Forum

Of 32 accused, 24 pleaded guilty and 8 contested at least one charge. All 24 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records do not show the terms. The contested share of 25% was slightly higher than the 20% Army-wide.

Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. In 2024, 6 of 11 did. With so few contested cases, 1 verdict can change the rate by many points.

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members decided 12% of cases with the forum listed: 3 by enlisted panels and 1 by an officer panel. A judge alone decided the other 28, and most of those were guilty pleas.

The Only Charge in Many Cases

Article 80 makes an attempt to commit another offense a crime. It was the only charge in 15 of 32 cases. The most common other charges were Article 134 (general article) in 6 cases, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 121 (larceny) in 4 each, Article 131b (obstruction) in 3, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 2.

A sentence covers every charge. In cases with more than 1 article, the records cannot show the punishment for the attempt alone.

Court Level and Changes From 2024

Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial can impose no more than one year of confinement. General courts-martial were 81% of these cases (26 of 32), and special courts-martial were the rest.

There were 34 cases in 2024 and 32 in 2025. The contested share was 32% in 2024 and 25% in 2025. The share of convictions with confinement was 93% in 2024 and 90% in 2025. Groups this small can change with a few cases, so these changes show direction only.

What the Records Do Not Show

These cases were tried between January 2025 and November 2025. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. When all guilty findings are for offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. The records do not give offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied to each trial.

Attempts handled through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 80 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

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.