The Articles of the UCMJ are the foundation of U.S. military law. They define who is subject to military law, the rights of service members, the rules for courts-martial, and the specific criminal offenses under military jurisdiction. The UCMJ contains 146 articles, organized into subchapters.
Article 1 Short title, Article 2 Persons subject, Article 3 Jurisdiction, Article 7 Apprehension, Article 15 Non-judicial punishment, Article 16–21 Courts-martial jurisdiction, Article 22–29 Convening and composition of courts-martial, Article 30 Charges and specifications, Article 31 Rights against self-incrimination, Article 32 Preliminary hearing, Article 34 Staff judge advocate advice, Article 35–46 Trial procedures, Article 55–58b Sentences and punishments, Article 77 Principals, Article 80 Attempts, Article 81 Conspiracy, Article 85 Desertion, Article 86 AWOL, Article 88 Contempt toward officials, Article 90 Disobeying superior officer, Article 92 Failure to obey order/regulation, Article 94 Mutiny or sedition, Article 99 Misbehavior before the enemy, Article 104 Aiding the enemy, Article 106 Spies, Article 107 False official statements, Article 108 Damage to military property, Article 111 Drunken or reckless driving, Article 112a Controlled substances, Article 118 Murder, Article 119 Manslaughter, Article 120 Rape and sexual assault, Article 121 Larceny, Article 122 Robbery, Article 126 Arson, Article 128 Assault, Article 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer, Article 134 General article, Article 135 Courts of inquiry, Article 138 Complaints of wrongs, Article 141 Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
UCMJ Article 134: The General Article
No single statute could anticipate every way a service member might damage discipline or the reputation of the armed forces. Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, codified…
UCMJ Article 123a: Making, Drawing, or Uttering a Check Without Sufficient Funds
A bounced check is usually a banking problem. It becomes a criminal one when the person who wrote it knew the account could not cover it and used it to…
UCMJ Article 103: Spies
Among the offenses in military law, few carry the gravity of spying in wartime. A person who infiltrates a military area under false colors to gather intelligence for an enemy…
UCMJ Article 134: Self-Injury Without Intent to Avoid Service
Not every intentional self-injury in the military is treated the same way. The Uniform Code of Military Justice draws a line based on why the injury was inflicted. When a…
UCMJ Article 134: Pandering and Prostitution
Pandering and prostitution are prosecuted in the military as enumerated offenses under Article 134, the general article of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The provision reaches a service member…
UCMJ Article 120: Rape and Sexual Assault Generally
Sexual offenses are among the most seriously prosecuted crimes in the armed forces, and the principal statute governing adult sexual misconduct is Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military…
UCMJ Article 78: Accessory After the Fact
Justice can be obstructed after a crime as well as during it. Article 78 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice addresses the conduct that comes afterward: knowingly helping an…
UCMJ Article 109a: Mail Matter: Wrongful Taking or Opening
For deployed service members and their families, the mail is often a lifeline. A unit mailroom may hold birthday packages, official correspondence, prescription medications, and letters that carry real weight…
UCMJ Article 134: Drunk and Disorderly Conduct
Intoxication that spills into a public disturbance, a fight, or scandalous behavior reflects on more than the individual; it reflects on the unit and the service. The armed forces expect…
UCMJ Article 134: Straggling
A unit moves only as fast as its slowest member, and accountability during movement is a basic measure of discipline. A service member who, without authority, lags behind, wanders off,…
UCMJ Article 115: Communicating Threats
A threat does not have to be carried out to do damage. Inside a military unit, a single statement that a reasonable person would take as a genuine intent to…
UCMJ Article 114: Carrying a Concealed Weapon
A hidden knife in a waistband, a pistol tucked under civilian clothes off duty, brass knuckles slipped into a pocket on liberty overseas: each can place a service member under…
UCMJ Article 80: Attempts
A crime that fails or is interrupted can still reflect a deliberate decision to break the law. Article 80 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice addresses that reality by…
UCMJ Article 118: Murder
Murder is the most serious offense in the military justice system, and it is one of the few that can expose a service member to the death penalty. Article 118…
UCMJ Article 97: Unlawful Detention
Authority over another person’s liberty is one of the most serious powers the military entrusts to its members, and the law surrounds it with limits. Article 97 of the Uniform…
UCMJ Article 88: Contempt Toward Officials
The Constitution places the armed forces under civilian control, and military law reinforces that principle by limiting how commissioned officers may speak about the civilian leaders above them. Article 88…
UCMJ Article 108a: Captured or Abandoned Property
Property seized from an enemy or left behind on the field of operations does not become a souvenir, a windfall, or a private commodity. It belongs to the United States…
UCMJ Article 104: Public Records Offenses
Military administration runs on records. Pay accounts, evaluation reports, personnel files, investigation findings, and medical histories all depend on documents that are accurate and intact. A service member who tampers…
UCMJ Article 110: Improper Hazarding of a Vessel or Aircraft
A warship driven aground by a careless watch, or a military aircraft endangered by a deliberate act, can cost lives, destroy assets worth billions, and disrupt operations far beyond the…
UCMJ Article 87b: Offenses Against Correctional Custody
Correctional custody is one of the milder tools a commander can use to discipline a service member without a court-martial. It restricts liberty, imposes supervision, and assigns duties, but it…
UCMJ Article 95: Offenses by a Sentinel or Lookout
A sentinel or lookout stands as a unit’s first line of warning. Whether posted at a gate, a magazine, a perimeter, or the rail of a ship, that person is…
UCMJ Article 107: Making False Official Statements
A military justice system runs on the reliability of what its members say and sign. A duty log, a sworn statement to an investigator, a travel voucher, a maintenance entry:…
UCMJ Article 122: Robbery
Robbery is theft committed face to face, with force or fear as the tool that overcomes the victim’s will. That combination of taking and intimidation is why military law treats…