Which statement is true about Article 15s?

• A. It includes three types: Company grade, field grade, and summarized
• B. It is a court-martial trial
• C. It is a criminal offense
• D. It is issued to all personnel

Answer: (A)

Article 15s are nonjudicial punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, used by a commander to discipline a service member for minor offenses without going through a court-martial. There are three forms of nonjudicial punishment: summarized, company-grade, and field-grade. The summarized form is the simplest and quickest, handled by the unit commander for relatively minor misconduct. If a more formal process is appropriate but a court-martial isn’t used, a company-grade Article 15 is applied, which involves a written record and potential penalties such as extra duties, forfeit of pay, or a reduction in rank. For more serious offenses or higher-ranking personnel, a field-grade Article 15 is used, managed by a higher-level commander and capable of similar penalties but with greater formal involvement. This mechanism is not a criminal offense, and it isn’t issued to everyone—it's a discretionary disciplinary action for specific offenses under the UCMJ.