Did Orders Violation Cases at Camp Pendleton, California Change After 2019?

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Based on 53 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Lower Sentences Than in 2017–2018

In 2017–2018, the records show 29 Article 92 cases at Camp Pendleton over 2 years, about 14 a year. Since 2019, there have been about 11 a year: 17 cases in 2019, 7 in 2020, 11 in 2021, 8 in 2022, and 10 in 2023. These cases were 18% of the 291 courts-martial at Camp Pendleton in 2019–2023.

The median confinement was 10 months in the earlier period and 5 months in the later one. The share of convicted enlisted members who received a punitive discharge was 78% and then 59%. General courts-martial were 38% of cases and then 28%. Convictions with confinement were 81% and then 83%. Too few earlier records list a plea to compare. These groups are small, and a few cases can change the figures. The changes show a direction, not an exact size.

Most Terms Were Short

All 53 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 44 sentences included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 5 months, shorter than the 6 months in Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases overall. A quarter of terms were 11 months or more.

Terms under 6 months made up 47% of convictions, compared with 38% service-wide. 17% carried no confinement, compared with 24%. Terms longer than one year came in 9 of 53 convictions (17%), compared with 16%. Terms of 6 months to 1 year made up 19%, compared with 22%. Terms of 5 years or more made up 4%, compared with 3%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in a case.

Fewer Contested Cases

Only 28 of the 53 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those, 21 accused pleaded guilty and 7 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea.

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 25% compares with 35% for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or what any plea agreement provided.

Article 92 Was Usually Charged with Other Offenses

Article 92 was the only charge in 7 of the 53 cases. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, 52 of 344 Article 92 cases charged it alone.

The most common other charges were Article 128 (assault) in 15 cases, Article 134 (general article) and Article 112a (drug) in 11 each, Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 7, and Article 131b (obstruction) in 6. A sentence covers every charge in the case. These figures therefore include punishment for more than the orders violation.

Punitive Discharges Were About the Same as the Service

For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. The officer form is a dismissal, but no officers appear in this group. Of 51 convicted enlisted members, 30 received a punitive discharge (59%), about the same as the 58% in Navy and Marine Corps-wide Article 92 cases. Of the 30, 6 were dishonorable.

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

Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial

General courts-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. They tried 15 cases (28%), compared with 33% in Navy and Marine Corps-wide Article 92 cases. Their median confinement was 1.3 years.

Special courts-martial are capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The 38 special courts-martial had a median confinement of 3 months. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.

Rank of the Accused

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 71% of the accused, and NCOs were 29%. No officers were charged. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases overall, junior enlisted members were 59%, so this group was more junior than the service as a whole.

What the Records Do Not Show

The records include trial dates but not offense dates. They also leave out the evidence, plea terms, and orders violations handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

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.

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.