Military Offenses

The military law upon which disciplinary actions are based is the Uniform Code of Military Justice (U.C.M.J.). This can be found at 10 U.S.C. Chapter 47. It can also be found in Appendix 2 of the Manual for Courts-Martial (M.C.M.), which is the guide for conducting military court-martial trials.

We are criminal defense lawyers who only represent military members and only handle military cases. That includes military investigations, military disciplinary actions, military discharge/separation, and military court-martial trials. Links to some of the military offenses we handle are available below and on the right margin. Please note that we do not represent military members in civilian courts and cases, and we are criminal defense lawyers. We do not handle civilian family law issues. We only represent military members facing military cases.

Because of the political meddling in the military justice system, the U.C.M.J. and associated military justice procedural rules (M.C.M., R.C.M., M.R.E., service specific regulations) are constantly changing, and it is vital that attorneys keep updated on the latest military law changes. Since 2013, dramatic changes have taken place regarding military criminal investigations, Article 32 hearings, clemency, complainant’s rights, military accused’s rights, etc. The Manual for Courts-Martial (M.C.M.) contains the U.C.M.J. and many important rules that apply not only to courts-martial, but to other military disciplinary actions to some extent.

Among other sections, the M.C.M. contains:

(Part II): The Rules for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.). These are the procedural rules for conducting a court-martial.

(Part III): The Military Rules of Evidence (M.R.E.). These are the rules regarding admissibility of evidence and testimony at trial.

(Part IV): The Punitive Articles. These are the provisions of the U.C.M.J. that describe offenses under the Code. The punitive articles are Articles 77-134.

(Part V): NonJudicial Punishment Procedure. This is the guide for imposing punishment under Article 15 U.C.M.J. Depending on the service branch, this disciplinary action is referred to as “Article 15” or “NJP” or “Captain’s Mast” or “Office Hours.” In addition to this provision of the M.C.M., the service branches have their own regulations further describing their NonJudicial Punishment procedures.

The following are just some of the military offenses we defend military members against:

• Murder, Manslaughter, Homicide [U.C.M.J. Articles 118, 119, 119a, 134]
• “War Crimes”
• National Security Cases [M.R.E. 505]
• Rape, Sexual Assault and Sodomy [U.C.M.J. Articles 120, 125]
• Consensual Sex Offenses (Fraternization, Adultery) [U.C.M.J. Article 134]
• Computer Crimes (Pornography) [U.C.M.J. Articles 92, 134]
• Drug Offenses [U.C.M.J. Article 112a]
• Larceny, Wrongful Appropriation, Fraud (Travel Vouchers) [U.C.M.J. Articles 121-123a]