Article 92 Failure to Obey an Order

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UCMJ Article 92 – Failure to Obey and Order

What is Article 92?

Article 92 defines disobeying a direct order as three types of federal article offenses – violations or failures to obey lawful general orders or regulations, failures to obey other lawful orders, and dereliction of duty. Article 92 charges are common in many prosecutions. It does not take very much effort for the government to find an allegation under Article 92 in most cases.

For charges related to violating or failing to obey lawful general orders or regulations, most criminal defenses will focus on defects in the regulation. That particular provision does not require that the accused have specific knowledge of the order or regulation [4]. In that regard, one of the only areas of attack is usually to attack defects in the regulation.

VIOLATION OF OR FAILURE TO OBEY A LAWFUL GENERAL ORDER OR REGULATION

  • That there was in effect a certain lawful general order or regulation;
  • That the accused had a duty to obey it; and,
  • That the accused violated or failed to obey the order or regulation [1].

FAILURE TO OBEY OTHER LAWFUL ORDER

  • That a member of the armed forces issued a certain lawful order;
  • That the accused had knowledge of the order; and
  • That the accused had a duty to obey the order; and
  • That the accused failed to obey the order [2].

DERELICTION IN THE PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES

  • That the accused had certain duties;
  • That the accused knew or reasonably should have known of the duties; and
  • That the accused was (willfully) (through neglect or culpable inefficiency) derelict in the performance of those duties [3].

As a threshold matter, the regulation must apply to the accused and prohibit the conduct that the accused is alleged to have performed [5]. In many cases, the order or regulation is intended to provide guidance. The regulation should specifically state that it is punitive. Counsel should note that the specification may be defective if it fails to specify the proper regulation or that the order is a general order. Counsel should also be careful to investigate whether any exceptions to the order or regulation exist.

Where the case involves violations of other lawful orders, a person with a status that imposes on the accused a duty to obey the order must have given the order. In that regard, the person giving the order need not necessarily be superior in rank. The key in these cases is sometimes attacking the knowledge element of the order. Cross-examination of government witnesses should frequently focus on the specificity of the order.

Orders are presumed to be lawful. Nonetheless, counsel may attach whether the order had a valid military purpose. That is, all activities reasonably necessary to accomplish a military mission. It can also include activities intended to safeguard or promote the morale, discipline, and usefulness of a unit [6]. The order can involve prohibitions on private activity if they relate to any of the above [7]. Counsel must scrutinize the order to ensure that it is not an overly broad limitation on a personal right.

In dereliction of duty cases, the threshold question is whether the accused had a particular duty. The duty can be imposed by any number of sources, including custom of the service. The key, again, is that the accused must have had knowledge of the particular duty. Ineptitude can be a defense to allegations of willfulness, negligence, or culpable inefficiency. A defense of ineptitude will be largely fact-specific. Examine the duty, the training, and abilities of the client, and the context in which he or she was asked to perform the duty.

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Daniel Conway

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For the better part of the last decade, Mr. Conway has become a nationally recognized resource on military justice. Daniel Conway is a former Marine staff sergeant and captain. He is a proud graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and University of New Hampshire School of Law. Mr. Conway is recently a former President of the New Hampshire Bar Association Military Law Section and a current member of the DC Bar. Mr. Conway has also written a book on Military Crimes and Defenses that is near publication with a major ...

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A Richmond, Virginia native, Mr. Pristera graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After spending some time as a DuPont engineer, specifically working on Kevlar manufacturing and ballistics applications, Mr. Pristera attended law school at the University of New Hampshire. On July 4, 2010, Mr. Pristera was commissioned in the U.S. Army in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Mr. Pristera spent almost six years on active duty. He spent just over three of those years in criminal defense, ...

Joseph Galli

Attorney

Originally from Portland, Maine, Mr. Galli attended Elmira College in New York on a four-year Army ROTC Scholarship. At Elmira, he double majored in Business Administration and Public Affairs. Mr. Galli graduated from Elmira College in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. Mr. Galli began his study of the law in 2009 at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. There, he focused on litigation and honed his advocacy skills as a member of the Advanced Trial ...

I Wanted To Thank You For Your Help With Our Case. We Were Surprised At The Many Roadblocks We Met With This Command, And Are So Grateful Your Firm Was There To Assist Us.

Dear Gary,

I wanted to thank you for your help with our case. We were surprised at the many roadblocks we met with this command, and are so grateful your firm was there to assist us. We were so pleased working with you as well as with Brian, who was exceptionally knowledgeable and smart. Beyond that, working with Brian was just very pleasant, and he really helped guide us through what proved to be a much more complex and contentious process than what I think any of us anticipated.
We are delighted A. is staying ashore in the meantime to address his medical issues and credit solely the assistance Brian and your firm have provided.

Thank you for all your help. We plan to be in touch after the adsep decision is made to consider our next step vis-vis A.'s Article 15.

In the meantime, please accept our profound gratitude.
All best.
M AND A.
NORFOLK, VA

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I was devastated, my job is now on the line. After contemplating doing the appeal by myself. I decided to seek representation. After doing some web research, and calling a few Lawyers and Law Services, I talked with Mr. Gary Myers, he called me back right away on a Friday afternoon! I explain the facts of my situation, while giving no guarantees he explained that he thinks he can help and that he has a very good Attorney to work my case, Mr. Brian Pristeria. After all the Lawyers I talked to Mr. Myers was the easiest to talk to, he was clear and precise, he got me focused on the information and materials I needed to send to him and Mr. Pristeria.

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