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 Articles 124a and 124b: Bribery and Graft
Corruption inside a chain of command does more damage than the dollar value of any envelope that changes hands. It tells the unit that decisions can be bought and that…
UCMJ Article 120c: Other Sexual Misconduct
Not every sexual offense in the military involves a physical sexual act. Some involve a hidden camera in a barracks shower, an image shared without permission, or deliberate exposure meant…
UCMJ Article 131f: Noncompliance With Procedural Rules
The military justice system depends on the people who run it following the rules that govern it. When a case drags without justification, or when someone responsible for the process…
UCMJ Article 106a: Wearing Unauthorized Insignia, Decoration, or Badge
Military awards and qualification badges carry meaning precisely because they are earned. A service member who wears a decoration, badge, or other device he or she is not authorized to…
UCMJ Article 114: Dueling
Dueling belongs to an earlier age, yet it remains a punishable offense in the modern armed forces. The reason has little to do with the survival of the practice and…
UCMJ Article 96: Drinking Liquor With a Prisoner
A guard who shares a drink with the inmate he is supposed to be watching has done something the military takes seriously, even though no one was hurt and nothing…
UCMJ Article 134: Disloyal Statements
The armed forces depend on the loyalty of their members, and military law has long recognized that certain speech can damage that loyalty in ways that civilian law would not…
UCMJ Article 111: Leaving the Scene of a Vehicle Accident
A traffic accident creates immediate legal duties: stop, check for injuries, render aid, and exchange identifying information. When a service member fails to meet those duties and drives off, military…
UCMJ Article 92: Failure to Obey an Order or Regulation
A military force runs on orders, and a system of orders only works if those orders are followed. Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), codified at…
UCMJ Article 113: Drunken or Reckless Operation of a Vehicle, Aircraft, or Vessel
A service member who climbs behind the wheel after drinking, races a vehicle across an installation, or pilots a small craft while impaired can face criminal liability that civilian licensing…
UCMJ Article 127: Extortion
Extortion is, at its core, a transaction built on intimidation: a threat used as leverage to take something a person would not otherwise give up. Article 127 of the Uniform…
UCMJ Article 87a: Resistance, Flight, Breach of Arrest, and Escape
When a service member is taken into custody, ordered into arrest, or placed in confinement, military law expects that restraint to hold until a proper authority lifts it. Article 87a…
UCMJ Article 115: Communicating a Threat or Hoax to Cause Panic
A false bomb threat phoned in to dodge a duty shift, a fabricated warning of a chemical spill spread for amusement, a fake report of an attack designed to send…
UCMJ Article 87: Missing Movement
When a ship, an aircraft, or a unit is scheduled to move, every member required to be aboard or present is part of the plan, and a single absence can…
UCMJ Article 100: Subordinate Compelling Surrender
Few offenses in military law sit closer to the heart of combat discipline than the wrongful surrender of forces or property to an enemy. Article 100 of the Uniform Code…
UCMJ Article 131g: Wrongful Interference With an Adverse Administrative Proceeding
Not every consequential proceeding in the military is a court-martial. Separation boards, boards of inquiry, administrative reduction actions, and similar processes can end a career, strip a security clearance, or…
UCMJ Article 107: False Swearing
A sworn statement carries weight because the person giving it has formally promised that it is true. When a service member takes a lawful oath and then makes a statement…
UCMJ Article 131e: Prevention of Authorized Seizure of Property
When investigators move to seize property, the law expects it to remain available for that seizure. A service member who destroys, removes, or disposes of property to keep it out…
UCMJ Article 116: Riot or Breach of Peace
Collective disorder inside the armed forces carries a danger that ordinary civilian disturbances do not. When service members fight in a barracks, storm through a town near a base, or…
UCMJ Article 131b: Obstructing Justice
The military justice system depends on investigations and proceedings that can find the truth without interference. When a service member tampers with that process, by destroying evidence, pressuring a witness,…
UCMJ Article 109: Waste, Spoilage, or Destruction of Non-Military Property
When a service member vandalizes a civilian’s car, burns through a rented field, or destroys a fellow member’s personal belongings, the harm falls on private owners rather than on the…
UCMJ Article 131a: Subornation of Perjury
A court-martial, an investigation, and a preliminary hearing all depend on sworn testimony being truthful. A service member who persuades another person to lie under oath attacks that foundation directly….
UCMJ Article 102: Forcing a Safeguard
A safeguard is a promise made in the name of the United States. When a commander issues a safeguard, it protects designated persons, property, or places from harm by friendly…