Army Article 92 Cases in 2024
The Army tried 59 courts-martial that charged Article 92 (orders violation) in 2024. Of 13 decided contested cases, 2 ended in a full acquittal (15%), compared with 37% across all Army cases that year.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 92 › Army, 2024
Short answer: The Army tried 59 courts-martial that charged Article 92 (orders violation) in 2024. Of 13 decided contested cases, 2 ended in a full acquittal (15%), compared with 37% across all Army cases that year. A punitive discharge was adjudged for 54% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 72% Army-wide.
Most Contested Cases Ended in a Partial Acquittal
Of the 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. Another 10 ended in a partial acquittal: the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Army findings are listed charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common.
The full-acquittal rate was 15%, lower than the 37% for all Army cases in 2024. There were only 13 decided cases, so 1 verdict would change the rate noticeably.
Members heard 6 of the 13 contested cases (46%). The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel decides guilt.
Fewer Punitive Discharges Than in Other Army Cases
A bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge was adjudged in 54% of enlisted convictions: 22 bad-conduct and 7 dishonorable. Across all Army cases in 2024, the share was 72%.
Of 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 2 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not include.
Comparing 2024 With 2023
There were 50 cases in 2023 and 59 in 2024. The contested share was 30% in 2023 and 22% in 2024. Convictions with confinement were 87% and then 79%. The median confinement was 4 months in 2023 and 6 months in 2024.
Enlisted punitive discharges were 60% in 2023 and 54% in 2024. The general court-martial share was 71% and then 68%. In groups this size, a few cases can account for the difference, so these figures show direction more than size.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 50 | 59 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 30% | 22% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 15 | 2 of 13 |
| Convictions with confinement | 87% | 79% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 60% | 54% |
| General courts-martial | 71% | 68% |
Pleas and Forum
There were 46 guilty pleas, and 13 accused contested at least one charge. The contested share was 22%, lower than the 27% for all Army cases in 2024.
Of the 46 guilty pleas, 44 are recorded with a plea agreement and 2 have no entry. The records show whether an agreement existed, but not its terms.
Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. A judge alone decided 53 cases, and enlisted panels decided 6. No case went to an officer panel. Members heard 10% of the cases with a forum listed.
Confinement Terms
Of 57 convictions, 45 included confinement (79%). The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the Army-wide median. A quarter of sentences were 11 months or longer.
No confinement was more common here: 12 convictions (21%), compared with 13% across the Army. Terms longer than one year were adjudged in 11 of 57 convictions (19%), compared with 28% Army-wide. Of those, 2 were 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 | 12 | 21% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 23 | 40% | 43% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 11 | 19% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9 | 16% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 4% | 7% |
Court Level, Rank, and Other Charges
General courts-martial, which can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, heard 38 of the 56 cases with a court level listed (68%). Special courts-martial heard 18, and the level is not listed for 3 cases. The median confinement was 6 months at general courts-martial and 2 months at special courts-martial. The contested share was 24% and 22%. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 53% of the accused, the same as across the Army. NCOs were 42% and officers 5%.
In 13 of the 59 cases, Article 92 was the only charge. Article 128 (assault) and Article 128b (domestic violence) each appeared in 14 cases, Article 134 (general article) in 11, Article 112a (drug) in 10, and Article 131b (obstruction) in 6.
Changes in Who Decides
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, including 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 changes 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 here.
Installations and What the Records Do Not Show
Fort Hood, Fort Riley, and Fort Knox tried 7 of these cases each. Fort Polk tried 6, and Fort Carson 4. Those five installations had 53% of the 59 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind. Orders violations handled by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in these records. The records also do not show the evidence or the plea terms.
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
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2024 that charged Article 92 (59 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 92 (Failure to Obey Order or Regulation): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Army Article 92 Cases in 2023 (previous / next)
- Army Article 92 Cases in 2025 (previous / next)
- Fewer or More? Orders Violation Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- Army Article 92 Cases in 2021
- Army Article 92 Cases in 2022
- Article 92 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- 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.