Who may impose an Article 15?

Who may impose an Article 15?

• A. Only a general officer
• B. Any commanding officer, including a warrant officer exercising command
• C. Only a colonel or higher
• D. The presiding judge advocate

Answer: (D)

Authority to impose Article 15 rests with the command authority over the member. In practice, a nonjudicial punishment under the UCMJ is imposed not by a judge or by a judge advocate alone, but by the commanding officer or by an officer who has been authorized to exercise command over the individual. This can include officers other than generals or colonels, and it can even extend to warrant officers who have command responsibilities in a given unit. The presiding judge advocate’s role is to oversee the process and provide legal guidance, but the actual punishment comes from the authorized command authority, not from the judge advocate.

Authority to impose Article 15 rests with the command authority over the member. In practice, a nonjudicial punishment under the UCMJ is imposed not by a judge or by a judge advocate alone, but by the commanding officer or by an officer who has been authorized to exercise command over the individual. This can include officers other than generals or colonels, and it can even extend to warrant officers who have command responsibilities in a given unit. The presiding judge advocate’s role is to oversee the process and provide legal guidance, but the actual punishment comes from the authorized command authority, not from the judge advocate.