3 Types of Article 15: Summarized, Company Grade, Field Grade

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the three types of Article 15 are summarized, company grade, and field grade. They differ in who imposes the punishment and how severe the maximum penalties can be, with a summarized action being the lightest and a field grade action carrying the harshest consequences short of a court-martial. The Army and Air Force use the term “Article 15”; the Navy and Coast Guard call the same proceeding “Captain’s Mast,” and the Marine Corps calls it “Office Hours.” The authority is the same federal statute in every branch.

Summarized Article 15

A summarized Article 15 is the least formal type and is reserved for the most minor infractions. Any commander can impose one. The maximum punishments are intentionally light:

Extra duty up to 14 days
Restriction up to 14 days
Oral reprimand or admonition

Those are the only options. No pay forfeiture, no reduction in rank, regardless of who imposes it.¹ The proceedings are documented on DA Form 2627-1 and the record is kept locally in the unit’s files, not in your permanent personnel file. For enlisted members E-4 and below, the record is destroyed after two years or when you transfer to a new duty station, whichever comes first.

One important distinction: you have no right to consult with a military lawyer before a summarized Article 15. With company grade and field grade actions, legal consultation is guaranteed. The military treats summarized proceedings as informal enough that counsel is not required. You can still refuse the proceedings and demand a court-martial, but you’ll make that decision without a free attorney walking you through it.

Company Grade Article 15

A company grade Article 15 is imposed by a company-level commander, typically a Captain (O-3) or Lieutenant. The punishments step up from a summarized action and can hit your paycheck:

Forfeiture of pay up to 7 days’ base pay
Extra duty up to 14 days
Restriction up to 14 days
Reduction in grade of one pay grade for enlisted members E-4 and below
Reprimand or admonition

Pay forfeitures under any Article 15 are calculated against base pay only. Allowances like BAH and BAS are not touched.¹ The reduction-in-grade authority is limited to ranks that fall within the imposing officer’s promotion authority. A company commander can typically promote up to E-4, which is why the demotion power at this level caps at one grade for E-4 and below and doesn’t reach higher-ranking enlisted members at all.

Unlike a summarized proceeding, you have the right to consult with a military defense attorney before deciding how to respond. In the Air Force, service members get three duty days from the date they are served with the Article 15 notification to submit their response, though extensions are possible.

Field Grade Article 15

A field grade Article 15 is the most serious form of nonjudicial punishment. It is imposed by a field-grade officer, a Major (O-4), Lieutenant Colonel (O-5), or anyone higher in the chain of command. The maximum punishments are substantially harsher:

Forfeiture of pay up to half of one month’s base pay per month for two months
Extra duty up to 45 days
Restriction up to 60 days
Reduction in grade: enlisted members E-4 and below can be reduced to E-1; members above E-4 can be reduced up to two pay grades under the statute, though service regulations commonly limit E-5 and E-6 reductions to one grade
Reprimand or admonition

The pay forfeiture math trips people up. “Half of one month’s pay for two months” means you lose half your base pay on each of two consecutive pay periods, not half your total pay for the entire two-month period. On an E-5’s base pay, that adds up quickly.¹

The grade reduction rules under the UCMJ allow a field-grade officer to reduce any enlisted member to any lower grade within that officer’s promotion authority, with a hard cap of two pay grades for anyone above E-4.¹ In practice, Army regulations and other service policies typically restrict E-5 and E-6 reductions to a single grade. Members at E-7 and above are generally beyond the promotion authority of a battalion-level commander, which effectively shields them from grade reduction through Article 15.

Rights Common to Company and Field Grade Proceedings

For company grade and field grade actions, you have the right to know exactly what offense you’re accused of before the hearing. You can consult with a military defense attorney at no cost, or hire a civilian attorney at your own expense. You can present evidence, offer statements explaining the circumstances, and bring witnesses. You can also request that the hearing be open to the public, though the commander must agree.

Accepting an Article 15 is not an admission of guilt. It means you agree to let the commander hear the case and decide. The commander must still be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that you committed the offense before imposing punishment.

Refusing an Article 15 and Demanding a Court-Martial

You can turn down any Article 15, including a summarized one, and demand trial by court-martial instead.¹ A court-martial gives you more procedural protection, including a full trial, the right to counsel, and cross-examination of witnesses. It also carries the possibility of much harsher punishment, including confinement and a federal conviction on your record.

The one exception is the vessel rule. If you are attached to or embarked on an operational vessel, you cannot refuse nonjudicial punishment.¹ Under current Navy guidance, a ship is only considered “operational” for purposes of this rule when it is not undergoing maintenance, modernization, or precommissioning, so sailors in port on a ship in drydock may still be able to refuse.

The commander is not required to take the case to court-martial after you refuse. They can drop the matter, handle it administratively, or refer it to a higher authority. But if they do proceed, the stakes go up considerably.

How the Type Affects Your Record

The type of Article 15 and your rank shape how long the record follows you. For enlisted members E-4 and below, any Article 15 is typically filed locally and destroyed after two years or on transfer to a new general court-martial jurisdiction, whichever comes first. It does not go into your permanent personnel file.

For members E-5 and above receiving a company grade or field grade Article 15, the commander decides whether to file the action in the performance section or the restricted section of your Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). The performance section is what promotion boards, career managers, and school selection boards routinely review. The restricted section is not visible to those boards, but the record stays there permanently.² If you’re E-5 or above and facing an Article 15, always request restricted-section filing.

One trap: if you already have an Article 15 in the restricted section and receive a second one, the new action automatically goes into the performance section, visible to every promotion board going forward.²

A commander cannot discharge you as part of any Article 15 punishment. But an Article 15, alone or combined with other adverse actions like letters of reprimand, can form the basis for separate administrative discharge proceedings for misconduct.³ A reduction in grade from a company or field grade action can also trigger mandatory separation under High Year of Tenure rules if you exceed the maximum time in service allowed for your new, lower grade.

Appeals

You have five days from the date punishment is imposed to submit an appeal to the next higher commander. Miss the deadline without good cause and you waive the right to appeal.⁴ Appeals can be based on insufficient evidence, disproportionate punishment, or procedural errors during the proceedings.

If the appeal authority doesn’t act within five days of receiving your appeal, you can request that any unexecuted restriction or extra duty be paused until the appeal is decided. The appeal authority cannot increase your punishment. They can reduce it, suspend it, or set it aside entirely.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 815 Art 15 Commanding Officers Non-Judicial Punishment
2
7th Army Training Command. Article 15 Fact Sheet
3
Barksdale Air Force Base. ADC Article 15
4
Joint Service Committee on Military Justice. Manual for Courts-Martial Part V Non-Judicial Punishment