Military Law Blog
What Is an Official Military Personnel File (OMPF)?
An Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) is the comprehensive record maintained for each service member in the U.S. Armed Forces. This file includes vital documents related to a service member’s military service history, such as enlistment records, duty stations, DD…
Article 113 of the UCMJ
UCMJ Article 113 is one of the most serious offenses of operational misconduct under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and it carries life-changing consequences for any service member accused of violating it. Whether the allegation involves driving under the…
Article 121 of the UCMJ
Article 121 of the UCMJ is one of the most complex and career-threatening offenses in the entire military justice system. It criminalizes both larceny and wrongful appropriation, two separate but related offenses grounded in the concept of a wrongful taking…
Understanding the Court-Martial Panel in the Military Justice System
When a service member is tried by court‑martial, one of the most critical features of military justice is the court‑martial panel — the group of military members who sit in a role similar (but not identical) to a jury in…
Article 128 of the UCMJ
Article 128 UCMJ is one of the most wide-ranging and aggressively prosecuted sections of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It criminalizes numerous forms of assault—from simple assault and assault consummated by a battery, to aggravated assault, assault with intent,…
Article 112a of the UCMJ
Article 112a of the Uniform Code of Military Justice is one of the most frequently enforced articles in military law. It criminalizes the wrongful use, wrongful possession, wrongful distribution, importation, exportation, and even the introduction of controlled substances by any…
Article 128b of the UCMJ
Domestic violence under Article 128b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice is one of the newest and most aggressively prosecuted areas of military law. For service members, an allegation that once might have been treated as a “family matter”…
Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD): How They Work
A bad conduct discharge (BCD) is one of the most serious outcomes a service member can face under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Unlike an administrative type of discharge — such as an honorable discharge, general discharge, other‑than‑honorable…
Article 92 of the UCMJ
What Is Article 92 of the UCMJ? Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) governs one of the most frequently charged offenses in the entire military justice system: failure to obey a lawful order. Whether you're in…
Article 134 of the UCMJ
What Is Article 134 of the UCMJ? Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)—often called the “General Article”—is one of the most powerful and flexible tools in the entire military justice system. It covers a broad range…