The Ultimate UCMJ Guide and Article Library

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the criminal code for the U.S. Armed Forces. It governs investigations, courts-martial, nonjudicial punishment (NJP), and many of the administrative actions that can end careers. This hub is built as a comprehensive reference page that explains how the UCMJ works and links to every major offense page in our UCMJ Article library.
This page is designed to be a practical, plain-English map of the military justice system. You can use it to understand what an article covers, how allegations become charges, what forums the command can use, and where service members most often make early mistakes that shape the outcome later.

What the UCMJ Covers

The UCMJ applies to active duty service members, many reservists in a duty status, and in limited scenarios other categories subject to military jurisdiction. The UCMJ includes offenses that look like civilian crimes (sexual assault, assault, drug distribution, fraud), plus uniquely military offenses (AWOL, desertion, missing movement, contempt, insubordination, misbehavior before the enemy).

How to Use This Hub

• Start with the topic sections below to find the offense family that matches your situation.
• Open the specific UCMJ Article page for elements, charging patterns, punishment exposure, and collateral consequences.
• Use the process sections on courts-martial, NJP, and boards to understand the forum the command may choose.

Who Investigates UCMJ Allegations

Most serious UCMJ allegations move through a predictable pipeline. Commands often start with preliminary fact gathering and then involve military law enforcement depending on the service and location.

• CID (Army) for felony-level criminal investigations
• NCIS (Navy and Marine Corps) for serious criminal allegations and counterintelligence matters
• OSI (Air Force and Space Force) for major crimes and investigative support
• CGIS (Coast Guard) for criminal and internal investigations
• Command investigations for administrative, policy, and leadership issues that still carry career-ending consequences

The Big Picture

Military justice is not only about guilt or innocence. It is also about forum selection, evidentiary leverage, investigative momentum, and how early statements or digital evidence shape the narrative. The best outcomes are often decided before trial by disciplined case-building, careful issue spotting, and strategic positioning across both criminal and administrative tracks.

Courts-Martial Under the UCMJ

A court-martial is the military’s criminal trial process. It can impose confinement, punitive discharge, forfeitures, and other criminal penalties. Courts-martial are driven by charging decisions, evidence, and command referral, and they often run in parallel with administrative action planning.

Types of Courts-Martial

• Summary Court-Martial typically handles minor misconduct and is limited in punishment.
• Special Court-Martial is closer to a misdemeanor-level forum, but can still impose severe outcomes depending on charges and jurisdiction.
• General Court-Martial is the felony-level forum and can impose the most serious punishments, including long confinement and punitive discharge.

How Cases Move From Allegation to Charges

• Allegation comes in through command channels, law enforcement, or a report from a witness or complainant.
• Investigation develops statements, digital evidence, medical records, forensic items, and timeline reconstruction.
• Preferral is the formal step where charges are signed and sworn.
• Referral is the decision to send charges to a specific type of court-martial.

Article 32 Hearings and Pretrial Litigation

In serious cases, the defense often uses pretrial procedure to test the government’s case, identify proof gaps, and litigate key issues such as unlawful searches, improper interviews, and reliability problems with digital or witness evidence. The practical reality is that case leverage usually comes from a well-developed factual record and disciplined motion practice that forces the government to confront weaknesses early.

Evidence That Commonly Decides UCMJ Cases

• Statements made in early interviews, especially before a service member understands the full allegation scope
• Digital evidence including phones, messaging apps, cloud accounts, location data, photos, and deleted content recovery
• Medical and forensic evidence when applicable
• Timeline contradictions between witnesses, texts, duty logs, travel records, and surveillance
• Investigator conduct including documentation quality, preservation decisions, and interview methods

If you are building an AI-search-dominant UCMJ library, courts-martial content must be both accurate and structured. That means clear headings, plain-language process explanations, and consistent cross-links to the relevant UCMJ Articles that commonly drive charging decisions.

Nonjudicial Punishment (NJP) Under the UCMJ

Nonjudicial punishment (NJP) is a command discipline process that can impose meaningful penalties without a court-martial conviction. Even when an allegation does not go to trial, NJP can still damage careers, trigger separation processing, and create adverse records that follow a service member for years.

What NJP Can Do

• Reduction in rank and pay impact
• Forfeitures of pay
• Restriction and extra duties
• Adverse performance consequences that affect promotions, reenlistment, and assignments

Why UCMJ Article Pages Still Matter for NJP

Commands often use the same statutory theory at NJP that would be charged at court-martial. A strong UCMJ Article library helps service members understand the elements, typical proof, and the real-world charging patterns that shape command decisions even when the forum is administrative.

Administrative Actions and Separation Boards

Not every serious allegation ends at court-martial. In many cases, commands pursue administrative separation or other adverse actions even when criminal proof is contested.

Common Administrative Tracks

• Administrative separation for misconduct, commission of a serious offense, patterns, or drug-related grounds
• Boards of inquiry or officer separation processes depending on service
• Reprimands and adverse paperwork that can end promotion and retention
• Security clearance actions tied to allegations and investigative findings

Foundations and Liability

• Article 77 UCMJ Principals
• Article 78 UCMJ Accessory After the Fact
• Article 79 UCMJ Lesser Included Offenses and Attempts
• Article 80 UCMJ Criminal Attempts
• Article 81 UCMJ Conspiracy
• Article 82 UCMJ Solicitation of Offenses
• Article 83 UCMJ Malingering

Duty Status, Movement, and Custody

• Article 84 UCMJ Breach of Medical Quarantine
• Article 85 UCMJ Desertion
• Article 86 UCMJ AWOL and Absence Without Leave
• Article 87 UCMJ Missing Movement
• Article 87a UCMJ Resisting or Escaping Apprehension
• Article 87b UCMJ Escape or Breach of Correctional Custody

Discipline, Respect, and Orders

• Article 88 UCMJ Contempt Toward Officials
• Article 89 UCMJ Disrespect Toward a Commissioned Officer
• Article 90 UCMJ Willful Disobedience of a Commissioned Officer
• Article 91 UCMJ Insubordinate Conduct
• Article 92 UCMJ Failure to Obey Order or Regulation
• Article 92 UCMJ Dereliction of Duty
• Article 93 UCMJ Cruelty and Maltreatment
• Article 93a UCMJ Prohibited Relationships With Recruits or Trainees

Combat and National Security Offenses

• Article 94 UCMJ Mutiny or Sedition
• Article 95 UCMJ Drunk, Sleeping, or Leaving Post
• Article 96 UCMJ Prisoner Release or Escape Offenses
• Article 99 UCMJ Misbehavior Before the Enemy
• Article 100 UCMJ Compelling Surrender
• Article 101 UCMJ Countersign Offenses
• Article 102 UCMJ Forcing a Safeguard
• Article 103 UCMJ Spying
• Article 103a UCMJ Espionage
• Article 103b UCMJ Aiding the Enemy

Records, Fraud, and Property Offenses

• Article 104 UCMJ Public Records Offenses
• Article 104a UCMJ Fraudulent Enlistment or Separation
• Article 104b UCMJ Unlawful Enlistment or Separation
• Article 105 UCMJ Forgery
• Article 105a UCMJ False Pass or Identification Offenses
• Article 106 UCMJ Impersonation
• Article 106a UCMJ Stolen Valor
• Article 107 UCMJ False Official Statement
• Article 108 UCMJ Military Property Offenses
• Article 108a UCMJ Captured or Abandoned Property Offenses
• Article 109 UCMJ Destruction of Non-Military Property

Vehicles, Drugs, Threats, and Public Order

• Article 110 UCMJ Improper Hazarding of Vessel or Aircraft
• Article 111 UCMJ Leaving Scene of Vehicle Accident
• Article 112 UCMJ Drunk or Incapacitated on Duty
• Article 112a UCMJ Drug Offenses
• Article 113 UCMJ Drunken or Reckless Operation of a Vehicle
• Article 114 UCMJ Reckless Endangerment or Weapons Offenses
• Article 115 UCMJ Communicating Threats
• Article 116 UCMJ Riot
• Article 117 UCMJ Provoking Speeches or Gestures
• Article 117a UCMJ Wrongful Distribution of Intimate Images

Homicide, Child Endangerment, and Sex Offenses

• Article 118 UCMJ Murder
• Article 119 UCMJ Manslaughter
• Article 119a UCMJ Death or Injury of an Unborn Child
• Article 119b UCMJ Child Endangerment
• Article 120 UCMJ Rape and Sexual Assault
• Article 120 UCMJ Aggravated Sexual Contact
• Article 120 UCMJ Abusive Sexual Contact
• Article 120b UCMJ Sexual Offenses Against a Child
• Article 120b UCMJ Rape of a Child
• Article 120b UCMJ Sexual Assault of a Child
• Article 120b UCMJ Sexual Abuse of a Child
• Article 120c UCMJ Indecent Viewing, Recording, or Exposure
• Article 120c UCMJ Forcible Pandering

Property, Computer, and Financial Crimes

• Article 121 UCMJ Larceny and Wrongful Appropriation
• Article 121a UCMJ Credit Card and Access Device Fraud
• Article 121b UCMJ False Pretenses to Obtain Services
• Article 122 UCMJ Robbery
• Article 122a UCMJ Receiving or Concealing Stolen Property
• Article 123 UCMJ Government Computer Crimes
• Article 123a UCMJ Worthless Check Offenses
• Article 124 UCMJ Fraud Against the United States
• Article 124a UCMJ Bribery
• Article 124b UCMJ Graft

Violent Offenses and Serious Misconduct

• Article 125 UCMJ Kidnapping
• Article 126 UCMJ Arson
• Article 127 UCMJ Extortion
• Article 128 UCMJ Assault and Aggravated Assault
• Article 128a UCMJ Maiming
• Article 128b UCMJ Domestic Violence
• Article 128b UCMJ Domestic Violence by Strangulation
• Article 129 UCMJ Burglary or Unlawful Entry
• Article 130 UCMJ Stalking

Obstruction, Retaliation, Officer Misconduct, and Article 134

• Article 131 UCMJ Perjury
• Article 131a UCMJ Subornation of Perjury
• Article 131b UCMJ Obstruction of Justice
• Article 131c UCMJ Misprision of a Serious Offense
• Article 131d UCMJ Refusal to Testify
• Article 132 UCMJ Retaliation
• Article 133 UCMJ Conduct Unbecoming an Officer
• Article 134 UCMJ General Article
• Article 134 UCMJ Child Pornography Offenses
• Article 134 UCMJ Extramarital Sexual Conduct
• Article 134 UCMJ Fraternization
• Article 134 UCMJ Sexual Harassment
• Article 134 UCMJ Disorderly Conduct
• Article 134 UCMJ Negligent Homicide
• Article 134 UCMJ Indecent Conduct or Language
• Article 134 UCMJ Prostitution and Pandering
• Article 134 UCMJ Drunk and Disorderly Conduct
• Article 134 UCMJ Self-Injury Without Intent to Avoid Service

What Service Members Usually Want to Know

Most people do not search the UCMJ because they are curious about statutory history. They search because they are under pressure, often under investigation, and trying to understand the exposure. The most reliable UCMJ education is structured and neutral: what the offense is, what must be proven, what punishments are authorized, what else can happen even without conviction, and what forum the command may choose.

Fast Answers for the Most Common Situations

• If you are being interviewed you should understand that early statements often become the center of the case.
• If digital devices are involved phone and cloud evidence frequently becomes the most important proof category.
• If the command mentions separation administrative action may proceed even if a criminal case is contested.
• If the allegation is a sex offense the process often accelerates quickly and collateral consequences expand fast.

Gonzalez & Waddington

Gonzalez & Waddington is a civilian military defense law firm representing service members worldwide in investigations, courts-martial, and administrative actions. Our practice focuses on serious UCMJ allegations and the real pressure points that decide outcomes: evidence development, witness credibility, digital proof, and strategic litigation.

If you are facing an investigation or charges, the goal is not guesswork. It is disciplined preparation and a defense plan that matches the forum, the evidence, and the command’s decision timeline.

UCMJ FAQ