Absence without leave, commonly abbreviated AWOL, is an offense under Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It covers a member of the armed forces who, without authority, fails to report to an appointed place of duty at the prescribed time, leaves that place, or remains absent from a unit, organization, or place of duty at which the member is required to be present. A member convicted of absence without leave is punished as a court-martial directs.
Facts
Classification CodeIn the United States armed forces, unauthorized absence is charged under Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, distinct from desertion, which is charged under Articles 85 and 87. 1 Elements of OffenseAbsence without leave is a temporary, unauthorized absence from a unit, post or place of duty, distinguished from desertion by the absence of any intention to permanently leave military service. 1 Notable ExampleDuring the First World War the Australian Imperial Force recorded the highest rate of soldiers absent without leave among the national contingents of the British Expeditionary Force, a phenomenon depicted in a 1918 cartoon by Cecil Hartt. 1 Jurisdiction VariationTerminology and thresholds differ by service and country. The United States Army and Air Force use the term AWOL while the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard generally call the same conduct unauthorized absence. In United States service a member is administratively dropped from unit rolls after thirty days and then treated as a deserter. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand each maintain their own military justice frameworks covering the same conduct. 1 Open Questions
Typical PenaltyNo single typical penalty could be honestly attested from the surveyed source, which discusses administrative consequences, such as being dropped from unit rolls and reclassified as a deserter after thirty days in United States service, rather than stating a sentencing range for unauthorized absence itself. 1 The surveyed source treats AWOL primarily through administrative consequences and the thirty day threshold before deserter status attaches, not a stated penalty range; a dedicated military justice source would be needed to attest a typical penalty. Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Australia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Europe, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: North America, found in there.
Sources
1. Absence Without Leave (Wikipedia)
WikipediaDesertion, terminology contrasting AWOL sectionQuote, Desertion, terminology contrasting AWOL section
This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL), which are temporary forms of absence.
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