Attempt at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 80 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2025

Based on 27 cases · 2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Median Confinement of 2.5 Years

There were 23 convictions on at least one charge, and confinement was part of 78% of them. The median confinement was 2.5 years, and a quarter of sentences were 8 years or longer. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025, the median was 4 months.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in each case, not only the attempt.

Long Sentences and No Confinement

Many convictions were in the longest and shortest bands. Of the 23 convictions, 6 (26%) brought 5 years or more, compared with 5% across the service. Another 5 (22%) were between 1 and 5 years, compared with 11%. In all, 11 of 23 convictions (48%) carried more than one year, compared with 16% across the service.

At the other end, 5 convictions (22%) included no confinement, compared with 31% across the service. Another 3 (13%) brought less than 6 months, and 4 (17%) brought 6 months to 1 year. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year; a special court-martial is capped at one year.

More Contested Cases, More Acquittals

Of the 26 records that list a plea, 15 show a guilty plea and 11 show a contested case, meaning a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share of 42% was higher than the 37% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025.

Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 36% ended in a full acquittal, compared with 27% across the service. Another 2 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

How 2025 Compared With 2024

There were 27 cases in both years, and the general court-martial share stayed at 78%. Most other figures changed. The contested share went from 28% to 42%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 0 of 7 to 4 of 11.

Median confinement went from 1 year to 2.5 years. Convictions with confinement went from 88% to 78%, and punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 83% to 76%. With only 27 cases a year, a few cases can change these figures, so they show direction, not precise change.

Punitive Discharges and Officers

Enlisted convictions brought 8 bad-conduct and 8 dishonorable discharges. A punitive discharge followed 76% of enlisted convictions, compared with 46% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer in this group was not dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Article 80 was the only charge in 9 of the 27 cases. In the other cases, the most common other charge was Article 134 (general article), in 5 cases. Article 120 (sexual assault), Article 120b (child sexual abuse), and Article 131b (obstruction) each appeared in 3, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 2.

Rank, Court Level, and Location

Among the accused with rank recorded, 15 were junior enlisted, 10 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. The group was more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025. General courts-martial heard 21 cases and special courts-martial heard 6. The general share was 78%, compared with 36% across the service.

MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, Camp Pendleton, California, Norfolk, Virginia, and Great Lakes, Illinois each tried 3 of these cases, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 2. Those five installations account for 52% of the 27 cases. The counts are too small to say anything about any one base.

Old Rules and New Rules in the Same 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 involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.

Whether a case falls under these rules depends on the offense date, and the records list only trial dates. The 2025 trials include an unknown number of cases under each set of rules. The data cannot show whether the changes had any effect.

What the Records Do Not Show

The records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the terms of any plea agreement, or cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 80 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.