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 90: Willfully Disobeying a Superior Commissioned Officer
A lawful order from a superior commissioned officer carries the force of law, and refusing to obey it is one of the most direct challenges to military authority. Article 90…
UCMJ Article 114: Willful Discharge of a Firearm Endangering Human Life
A round fired into the air at a barracks party, a weapon deliberately touched off near occupied housing, a shot sent toward a vehicle that someone might be sitting in:…
UCMJ Article 84: Breach of Medical Quarantine
When a contagious illness threatens a warship, a barracks, or a forward-deployed unit, commanders and medical officers can place affected personnel under quarantine to keep an outbreak from spreading. A…
UCMJ Article 114: Reckless Endangerment
A round fired into the air over a crowded area, a vehicle driven at reckless speed through a busy installation, explosives handled with deliberate disregard for safety rules: each creates…
UCMJ Article 86: Absence Without Leave (AWOL)
Being in the right place at the right time is the most basic obligation of military service, and the law that enforces it is among the most frequently charged offenses…
UCMJ Article 112: Drunk Prisoner
Discipline inside a military confinement facility depends on prisoners remaining sober, controllable, and accountable. A prisoner who becomes intoxicated is harder to supervise, more likely to act out, and a…
UCMJ Article 131c: Misprision of a Serious Offense
A service member who learns that someone has committed a serious crime, and then takes steps to hide it, can be prosecuted under Article 131c of the Uniform Code of…
UCMJ Article 87b: Breach of Restriction
Restriction is one of the milder forms of military restraint. It does not put a service member behind a locked door; it confines movement to defined limits, such as a…
UCMJ Article 91: Insubordinate Conduct Toward a Warrant, Noncommissioned, or Petty Officer
The day-to-day work of a military unit is often directed not by commissioned officers but by warrant officers, noncommissioned officers (NCOs), and petty officers. These leaders supervise training, enforce standards,…
UCMJ Article 122a: Receiving Stolen Property
A service member who never stole anything can still face a court-martial for what happens to stolen goods afterward. When someone knowingly takes in, buys, or hides property that another…
UCMJ Article 101: Improper Use of a Countersign
In the field, a countersign can be the difference between a friend admitted and an enemy turned away. A countersign, paired with its parole, is a secret word or phrase…
UCMJ Article 93: Cruelty and Maltreatment
Authority in the military runs downward through a chain of command, and with that authority comes the power to make life difficult for those below. Article 93 of the Uniform…
UCMJ Article 112: Drunk on Duty
A service member who reports for duty intoxicated puts more than a personal reputation at risk. A sentry who cannot stay alert, a mechanic whose judgment is dulled, or a…
UCMJ Article 104b: Unlawful Enlistment, Appointment, or Separation
Entry into and exit from the armed forces is governed by a dense framework of statutes, regulations, and orders that determine who may serve and under what conditions. Article 104b…
UCMJ Article 133: Conduct Unbecoming an Officer
Officers, cadets, and midshipmen occupy positions of trust that depend on personal integrity, and military law reflects that by holding them to a standard no enlisted member faces in quite…
UCMJ Article 81: Conspiracy
Crimes planned by groups can be more dangerous than crimes committed alone, because coordination multiplies the harm a single person could cause. Article 81 of the Uniform Code of Military…
UCMJ Article 82: Solicitation
Military discipline can be threatened not only by a crime itself but by the act of urging someone else to commit one. Article 82 of the Uniform Code of Military…
UCMJ Article 130: Stalking
Repeated, unwanted attention can become a crime long before it turns into a physical attack. Following someone day after day, flooding a person with threatening messages, or watching their movements…
UCMJ Article 128: Assault
A shove in a barracks hallway, a fist raised during a heated argument, a weapon pointed at another service member, a chokehold that cuts off a person’s breath: each of…
UCMJ Article 128a: Maiming
A service member who deliberately leaves another person permanently scarred, blinded, or missing the use of a limb has done something the military treats as far graver than an ordinary…
UCMJ Article 134: Dishonorably Failing to Pay a Debt
An unpaid bill is ordinarily a civil matter, resolved between a debtor and a creditor in civil court. Military law treats a narrow slice of that conduct differently. Dishonorably failing…
UCMJ Article 94: Mutiny and Sedition
Few offenses in military law strike as directly at the foundation of an armed force as mutiny and sedition. An organized refusal to obey, a concerted attempt to seize authority,…
UCMJ Article 108: Loss, Damage, Destruction, or Wrongful Disposition of US Military Property
Military readiness depends on the equipment in a service member’s hands: rifles, vehicles, aircraft, radios, and the countless tools issued for the mission. When that property is sold off, destroyed,…