What's it called when a soldier doesn't follow orders?

Asked by: Braxton Osinski III  |  Last update: February 15, 2026
Score: 4.6/5 (53 votes)

When a soldier doesn't follow orders, it's generally called insubordination, a serious offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). While a soldier must obey lawful orders, refusing them can lead to court-martial under Article 92 (Failure to Obey Order or Regulation) or Article 91 (Insubordinate Conduct), resulting in penalties like discharge, pay forfeiture, or confinement, unless the order is patently illegal (e.g., a war crime).

What's it called when you don't follow orders?

Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying a lawful order of one's superior.

What happens if a soldier refuses to follow orders?

Penalties for Failure to Obey an Order

The penalties for violating or failing to obey a lawful general order or regulation include: Dishonorable discharge; Forfeiture of pay and allowances; and/or. No more than 2 years of confinement.

When soldiers as a group disobey their officers, it is called?

Mutiny – When soldiers. as a group disobey their. officers in the army.

What is the penalty for not following military orders?

Dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 2 years. (2) Violation of or failure to obey other lawful order. Bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 6 months. (3) Dereliction in the performance of duties.

Democrats to Troops: Don’t Follow Unlawful Orders

31 related questions found

What is the military term for disobedience?

Insubordination: Legal Definition

Intentionally disobeys a legal order from an officer; or. Disrespects an officer verbally or physically while they are performing their official duties.

What are the 4 types of punishment?

The four main types of punishment in criminal justice are retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation, each serving a different goal: making offenders pay for their crime (retribution), discouraging future crime (deterrence), preventing them from committing more offenses (incapacitation, e.g., prison), or changing their behavior to be law-abiding (rehabilitation). 

What are punishments called in the military?

Non-judicial punishment proceedings are known by different terms among the services. In the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, it is referred to as Article 15; in the Marine Corps, it is called Office Hours; the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard call non-judicial punishment Mast.

When soldiers are as a group disobedience officer in the army, then it is called?

Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove their superiors or orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, but it can also sometimes mean any type of rebellion against any force.

Are mutinies legal?

A person who is found guilty of attempted mutiny, mutiny, sedition, or failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.

What is the 540 rule in the army?

The Army 540 Rule is a policy (Army Directive 2023-08) that exempts Soldiers from the body-fat assessment (tape test) if they score 540 or higher on the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), with a minimum of 80 points in each of the six primary events. This performance-based exemption allows highly fit Soldiers who might otherwise fail body composition standards due to muscle mass to prove their combat readiness without the tape test, linking physical fitness directly to body composition requirements.
 

What is article 92 in the military?

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.

What is failure to obey a lawful order?

Any person subject to this chapter who- (1) violates or fails to obey any lawful general order or regulation; (2) having knowledge of any other lawful order issued by a member of the armed forces, which it is his duty to obey, fails to obey the order; or.

What is another word for not following orders?

Definitions of disobedient. adjective. unwilling to submit to authority. synonyms: unruly. insubordinate.

What happens if you get a FTR in the army?

Being FTR can result in numerous adverse actions, including a letter of concern, Article 15 or a GOMOR. Additionally, repeated FTRs can result in separation from the Army for a pattern of misconduct. There are numerous, legitimate, reasons as to why a Soldier may be FTR in the Army.

What is the Article 92 duty to disobey?

Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) covers the Failure to Obey an Order or Regulation. Service members accused of failure to obey orders, regulations or performing their duties in a negligent or intentionally poor manner may be charged under this article.

What is the meaning of mutining?

: to rise against or refuse to obey or observe authority.

What is a forced military service called?

Conscription, also known as the draft in American English, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day under various names.

What is military discipline called?

Non-judicial punishment proceedings are known by different terms among the services. In the Army and the Air Force, non-judicial punishment is referred to as Article 15; in the Marine Corps it is called being "NJP'd", being sent to "Office Hours", or satirically amongst the junior ranks, "Ninja Punched".

What is the rule 13 in the army?

2018 in terms of Army Rule 13 (3) III (iv) of the Army ...is that the respondents have discharged applicant by following due procedure as per Army Rules, 1954 and there is no provision for reinstating a person in Army who has given application to proceed on... interest of justice.

What are the 4 forms of punishment?

The four main types of punishment in criminal justice are retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation, each serving a different goal: making offenders pay for their crime (retribution), discouraging future crime (deterrence), preventing them from committing more offenses (incapacitation, e.g., prison), or changing their behavior to be law-abiding (rehabilitation). 

What does NJP mean?

Non-Judicial Punishment (NJP), also referred to as Article 15 in the Army and Air Force, or Captain's Mast in the Navy and Coast Guard, is a tool used by commanding officers to discipline service members for minor offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

What is type 2 punishment?

Type 2 punishment: is removal of a positive event after a behavior. Technically punishment is a decrease in the rate of a behavior. For example: If a child was spanked for running onto the road and stops running on to the road, then the spanking was punishment.

What are the six forms of punishment?

Types of Punishment

  • Incarceration. Incarceration means time in a local jail or a state or federal prison. ...
  • Fines. Many criminal punishments carry fines, which is money paid to the government (often a city, county, or state).
  • Diversion. ...
  • Probation. ...
  • Restitution. ...
  • Community service. ...
  • Defendant 1. ...
  • Defendant 2.

What are the 4 death penalties?

The primary means of execution in the U.S. have been hanging, electrocution, the gas chamber, firing squad, and lethal injection. The Supreme Court has never found a method of execution to be unconstitutional, though some methods have been declared unconstitutional by state courts.