How Army Disobeying An Officer Cases Ended in 2024
The Army tried 28 courts-martial that charged Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 2024. Only 18% were contested, compared with 27% across all Army cases that year. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the Army-wide figure, and 96% of convictions included confinement.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 90 › Army, 2024
Short answer: The Army tried 28 courts-martial that charged Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 2024. Only 18% were contested, compared with 27% across all Army cases that year. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the Army-wide figure, and 96% of convictions included confinement.
Fewer Contested Cases Than in 2023
In 2023, 36% of these cases were contested. In 2024, 18% were. The number of cases was 33 in 2023 and 28 in 2024.
Other measures changed less. The median confinement was 7 months in 2023 and 6 months in 2024. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 71% and then 72%. The general court-martial share was 84% and then 78%. Full acquittals in decided contested cases were 3 of 12 in 2023 and 1 of 5 in 2024.
A few cases can change the figures for groups this size. The year-to-year differences show direction, not precise measures.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 33 | 28 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 18% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 12 | 1 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 96% |
| Median confinement | 7 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 71% | 72% |
| General courts-martial | 84% | 78% |
Most Cases Were Guilty Pleas
Of the 28 cases, 23 ended in guilty pleas and 5 were contested. A contested case is one in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, including mixed pleas.
Plea agreements are recorded for 21 of the 23 guilty pleas, and 2 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not what it contained.
Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal. Five cases are too few to compare with the Army as a whole.
A military judge alone decided 25 cases, and enlisted panels decided 2. Members heard 7% of the cases with a forum listed. No case went to an officer panel. The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.
Almost Every Conviction Included Confinement
Of 27 convictions, 26 included confinement (96%). Only 1 conviction had no confinement. That is 4%, compared with 13% for all Army cases in 2024.
Terms under 6 months were the largest group, with 15 convictions (56%), compared with 43% across the Army. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the Army-wide figure.
Of 27 convictions, 6 (22%) included more than one year, compared with 28% across the Army. No sentence was 5 years or more. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 1 | 4% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 15 | 56% | 43% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 19% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 22% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 7% |
Other Charges in the Same Cases
All 28 cases charged at least one other article. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 9 cases, Article 128 (assault) and Article 131b (obstruction) in 8 each, Article 86 (AWOL) in 7, and Article 134 (general article) in 6.
A sentence covers every charge in the case. The confinement figures here include punishment for these other offenses as well as the disobedience charge.
Most Punitive Discharges Were Bad-Conduct Discharges
Of 25 convicted enlisted members, 18 received a punitive discharge: 16 bad-conduct and 2 dishonorable. The share was 72%, the same as the Army-wide figure for 2024.
The group includes 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 18 junior enlisted members, 8 NCOs, and 2 officers. This group was more junior than all Army cases in 2024. Junior enlisted members were the largest rank group.
General courts-martial heard 21 of the 27 cases with a court level listed (78%), about the same as the 75% across the Army. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
New Rules in Effect This Year
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.
Both rules depend on the offense date, which these records do not give. Trials in 2024 therefore include cases under both the old and new rules. The records cannot show whether either change affected the figures above.
Installations and Limits
Fort Bliss tried 4 cases and Vilseck (Europe) 3. Fort Riley, Fort Campbell, and Fort Bragg tried 2 each. Those five installations had 46% of the 28 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
The records also do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or any conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 90 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 90 (28 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 90 (Willfully Disobeying Superior Officer): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Disobeying An Officer at Army Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Army Article 90 Cases in 2025 (previous / next)
- Is Army Disobeying An Officer Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 90, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- Army Article 90 Cases in 2022
- Disobeying An Officer at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers
- Article 90 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- Article 90 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.