Pleading Guilty to Article 90 in the Army: What Sentences Followed?
Army records show 117 guilty-plea courts-martial from 2021–2025 that included Article 90 (disobeying an officer). The median adjudged confinement was 6 months, slightly longer than the 5 months for all Army guilty pleas.
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Short answer: Army records show 117 guilty-plea courts-martial from 2021–2025 that included Article 90 (disobeying an officer). The median adjudged confinement was 6 months, slightly longer than the 5 months for all Army guilty pleas. A punitive discharge was adjudged for 73% of convicted enlisted members, about the same as the 75% across Army guilty pleas.
Disobedience Charged With Violent Offenses
Article 90 covers willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer's lawful command, as well as striking or assaulting one. In these guilty pleas, it was the only charge in 6 of 117 cases.
The most common other charges were violent offenses. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 37 cases and Article 128b (domestic violence) in 36. Article 134 (the general article) and Article 112a (drugs) each appeared in 28, and Article 86 (AWOL) in 18.
A sentence covers every charge in the case. The figures below describe these combined cases, not the disobedience charge alone.
Slightly Longer Than Other Guilty Pleas
Confinement was part of 91% of the 117 convictions. Half of those terms were 6 months or less. The median across all Army guilty pleas in those years was 5 months. A quarter of sentences here were 1.3 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences: the terms announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. The time actually served can be shorter.
Sentence Lengths Compared
Sentences longer than one year were about as common as across Army guilty pleas: 28 of 117 convictions (24%), compared with 24%. Terms of 1 to 5 years made up 21% here, compared with 17%. Terms of 5 years or more made up 3%, compared with 6%.
Terms under 6 months made up 46%, compared with 44%. Terms of 6 months to 1 year made up 21%, compared with 18%. Only 10 convictions (9%) had no confinement, compared with 14%. Overall, sentence lengths were close to the Army pattern, with slightly more terms between 6 months and 5 years.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army guilty pleas in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 10 | 9% | 14% |
| Under 6 months | 54 | 46% | 44% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 25 | 21% | 18% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 25 | 21% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 3% | 6% |
Mostly General Courts-Martial
Of the 112 cases with a court level listed, 78 were general courts-martial (70%), about the same as the 68% across Army guilty pleas. Special courts-martial heard 34, and 5 cases have no court level listed.
The median confinement was 9 months at general courts-martial and 3 months at special courts-martial. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge.
How Many Received a Punitive Discharge
A punitive discharge was adjudged in 73% of enlisted convictions: 70 bad-conduct discharges and 11 dishonorable discharges. Across all Army guilty pleas, the share was 75%.
The records list 6 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 3 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Forum
By rank, the accused were 84 junior enlisted members, 27 NCOs, and 6 officers. This mix was more junior than all Army guilty pleas in those years. Article 90 applies to officers who disobey a superior officer, as well as to enlisted members.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 116 of 117 cases with the forum listed (99%). An enlisted panel heard 1. Army records show whether a plea agreement existed, not its terms.
Cases by Year and Installation
The cases were tried from January 2021 through December 2025. There were 30 cases in 2021. The yearly count was then about the same each year: 21 in 2022, 21 in 2023, 23 in 2024, and 22 in 2025.
Fort Bliss had 14 of the cases and Fort Bragg 11. Fort Hood, Fort Campbell, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord had 9 each. Those five installations had 44% of the 117 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem with this offense.
Covered Offenses and New Sentencing Rules
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Domestic violence was charged in 36 of these cases. When every guilty finding 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 from 2024 on therefore include cases under both the old and new rules, and the data cannot show whether the changes affected outcomes. Army records are sparse before 2021, after Article 140a publication was required by December 2020.
What the Records Do Not Show
These records include charges, pleas, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or any disobedience 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 tried 2021–2025: where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 90 (disobeying an officer) (117 cases), compared with all Army guilty pleas in those years.
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)
- Sentences (hub)
- Is Army Disobeying An Officer Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 90, 2021–2025
- Article 90 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 90 Cases Acquitted?
- Guilty Pleas in Air Force Disobeying An Officer Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (another service)
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Disobeying An Officer Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (another service)
- 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.