How Army AWOL Cases Ended in 2024
Every one of the 19 Army courts-martial in 2024 that charged Article 86 (AWOL) ended with a guilty finding on at least one charge. The median confinement term was 4 months, against a 6 months median Army-wide in 2024.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 86 › Army, 2024
Short answer: Every one of the 19 Army courts-martial in 2024 that charged Article 86 (AWOL) ended with a guilty finding on at least one charge. The median confinement term was 4 months, against a 6 months median Army-wide in 2024. Contested pleas came in 21% of these cases, compared with 27% for the Army as a whole.
No Full Acquittals in 2024
Of the 19 accused, 4 entered a not-guilty or mixed plea, which is what makes a case contested. In 2024 none of those 4 contested cases ended with an acquittal on every charge. The year before, 2 of 7 did.
The other 15 accused pleaded guilty. For 14 of them the Army record shows a plea agreement, and 1 record has no entry. The records note only that an agreement was made, not its terms.
How 2024 Compared With 2023
There were 21 cases in 2023 and 19 in 2024. Contested pleas went from 33% to 21%. In both years the median confinement was 4 months, but more convictions carried confinement in 2024: 89%, up from 74%.
Bad-conduct and dishonorable discharges for enlisted members went from 71% to 76%. General courts-martial rose from 45% to 58%. Groups this size can shift with a handful of cases.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 21 | 19 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 21% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 7 | 0 of 4 |
| Convictions with confinement | 74% | 89% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 71% | 76% |
| General courts-martial | 45% | 58% |
Length of Confinement
Of the 19 sentences, 17 included time in confinement. A quarter of those terms were 6 months or longer. For comparison, the Army-wide median in 2024 was 6 months.
The figures are adjudged sentences, meaning the sentence announced at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or an appeal can reduce it later. A single sentence also covers all of the charges in the case, not the AWOL charge alone.
Discharges and Dismissals
Enlisted members convicted here received a punitive discharge 76% of the time, against 72% Army-wide. Of those discharges, 12 were bad-conduct and 1 was dishonorable. Of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed, the officer form of a punitive discharge.
Members who leave a court-martial without a punitive discharge can still face administrative separation later.
Disobedience and Assault in the Same Cases
Of the 19 cases, 18 charged at least one article besides AWOL. Article 90 (disobeying an officer) was charged in 7 cases, Article 128 (assault) in 6, Article 134 (general article) and Article 112a (drug) in 4 apiece, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 3.
Court Level, Forum, and Rank
Of the 19 cases, 11 were general courts-martial (58%) and the remainder special courts-martial. Special courts-martial are limited to one year of confinement and to a bad-conduct discharge at most.
Guilt was decided by a military judge alone in 89% of cases, 17 of 19. Enlisted panels heard the other 2. By rank, 58% of the accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 32% were NCOs, and 11% were officers, while the Army-wide junior enlisted share was 53%.
Rules That Depend on the Offense Date
The rules below have applied since December 28, 2023, and both turn on the offense date. Special trial counsel, rather than commanders, now decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Trial records carry trial dates only, so the 2024 group includes cases under both sets of rules.
Limits
Only courts-martial appear here. AWOL handled through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action is absent, as are the evidence and the plea terms.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 86 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2024 that charged Article 86 (19 cases), compared with all Army 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 86 (AWOL): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Army Article 86 Cases in 2023 (previous / next)
- Army Article 86 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- AWOL at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers
- Army Article 86 Cases in 2022
- AWOL at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016: The Year in Numbers
- AWOL at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers
- What Sentence Follows an Army AWOL Conviction?
- Article 86 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.