AR 15-6 Investigations • Gonzalez & Waddington
Gonzalez & Waddington is a civilian military defense firm, founded by Michael Waddington and Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington, that has defended service members at courts-martial and in UCMJ matters worldwide for more than two decades.
Quick answer
Yes. An AR 15-6 investigation is an administrative fact-finding tool, but its findings are often used as the basis for a GOMOR or letter of reprimand, relief for cause, a bar to continued service, an adverse evaluation, an officer elimination or an enlisted separation. In some cases the findings are forwarded for criminal action. If you are the subject of an AR 15-6, Gonzalez & Waddington recommends treating it as the start of an adverse action and getting counsel before you are interviewed.
Why AR 15-6 findings matter
The investigating officer makes findings and recommendations to an approval authority. Once approved, those findings become the official account of what happened. Later actions often rely on them instead of a new investigation.
Common actions that follow
- GOMOR or letter of reprimand
- Relief for cause and a referred evaluation
- Removal from a promotion list or school
- Officer elimination or enlisted administrative separation
- Referral to CID or for UCMJ action
What you can do
Be careful about interviews. You may have Article 31 rights if you are suspected of an offense. When adverse findings are made against you, you can submit a rebuttal, and you can respond again when an adverse action based on the findings is proposed. Each response should be consistent and written with the next step in mind.
Why service members choose Gonzalez & Waddington
Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC is a civilian military defense firm representing U.S. service members worldwide. Michael Waddington is a former Army JAG prosecutor, Trial Defense Counsel and Senior Defense Counsel who has practiced military criminal defense for more than 25 years and has litigated more than 200 contested trials. Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington is a founding partner with more than 20 years of military and criminal defense experience and a former Georgia public defender. Together they have written 14 books on military justice, cross-examination and trial advocacy, and both teach other lawyers at national CLE programs. The firm limits its caseload so the senior lawyers stay directly involved from investigation through trial or board.
What to bring to a consultation
- Any paperwork you received: rights advisement, notification memo, reprimand, charge sheet or investigation notice.
- A short timeline of events and the investigation so far.
- Names of key witnesses.
- Messages, emails, photos or records, preserved in their original form.
- Every deadline and suspense date you have been given.
Video transcript
Transcript of the video “Can an AR 15-6 Lead to a GOMOR or Administrative Separation?,” with Michael Waddington of Gonzalez & Waddington.
Read the full transcript of this video
Can an AR 15-6 lead to a general officer memorandum of reprimand or separation? Yes, and it usually does. The 15-6 is the fact-finding step. The general officer memorandum of reprimand, the relief, the referred evaluation, and the separation board are the actions built on it. Most career-ending administrative actions in the Army trace back to a 15-6 finding. I’m Michael Waddington, civilian military defense lawyer and co-founder of Gonzalez & Waddington.
People treat the 15-6 as the investigation and the general officer memorandum of reprimand as the punishment and miss that the first one determines the second. Here’s the chain. First, what the 15-6 produces. Findings and recommendations approved by the appointing authority. The findings are the official facts. The recommendations are what the IO thinks should happen, and the appointing authority can accept, reject, or go beyond them.
Under AR 15-6, the report itself doesn’t punish anyone. It’s the predicate. Second, the actions it feeds. One, the general officer memorandum of reprimand. A general officer reads the 15-6 findings and issues a reprimand under AR 600-37. The general officer memorandum of reprimand usually quotes the findings nearly word for word. If the findings say you engaged in an inappropriate relationship, the general officer memorandum of reprimand says so, and your rebuttal to the general officer memorandum of reprimand is fighting a fact the 15-6 already established.
Two, relief for cause. A commander relieves a leader based on the findings and under AR 623-3, the relief generates a referred evaluation that says why. That evaluation follows you to every promotion board. Three, administrative separation. For enlisted soldiers, the 15-6 findings become the basis for separation under AR 635-200 for misconduct, and the findings are the government’s exhibit one at the board. For officers, the findings support a show cause notification under AR 600-8-24 and a board of inquiry.
Four, the criminal referral. If the findings describe an offense, the appointing authority forwards the report to CID or the staff judge advocate, and the 15-6 becomes the starting file for a criminal investigation with your statement, if you gave one, at the top. Five, the collateral consequences. A flag under AR 600-8-2 the day the investigation is appointed. Security clearance review. Loss of a school slot or an assignment.
A bar to continued service. Third, why the 15-6 is the place to fight. Every action downstream cites the findings. A general officer memorandum of reprimand rebuttal that argues the underlying facts is arguing against an approved investigation, and generals defer to their own IOs. A separation board that hears the findings read into the record starts from the assumption they’re true. But a 15-6 that’s disapproved, modified, or sent back for reinvestigation removes the foundation.
No findings, no general officer memorandum of reprimand quoting them. Fourth, the timeline. The 15-6 rebuttal is due days after the findings are referred. The general officer memorandum of reprimand rebuttal is seven days after that. The relief can happen in between. The separation board comes months later. The fight compresses at the front and expands at the back, which is why the early days matter. What to do? Get a lawyer at the 15-6 stage before the findings are approved.
Fight the findings there. And if they’re approved, carry the rebuttal forward as an exhibit to every action that follows, So, the decision-maker sees that the facts were contested from the start. At Gonzalez & Waddington, we tell clients that the 15-6 is the trial, and everything after it is sentencing. The cases we win downstream are usually the ones we started fighting at the appointment memo. So, can a 15-6 lead to a general officer memorandum of reprimand or separation?
Yes, it’s the foundation for both, and for the relief, the referred evaluation, and the criminal referral. Fight it where it starts. I’m Michael Waddington, a civilian military defense lawyer and co-founder of Gonzalez & Waddington. We defend service members worldwide facing military investigations, courts-martial, administrative separation boards, and military disciplinary actions. If your career, reputation, or freedom is on the line, you need experienced military defense lawyers fighting for you.
When the government builds a case, we build your defense. Visit ucmjdefense.com or call 1-800-921-8607 for a free, confidential consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AR 15-6 investigation lead to a GOMOR?
Yes. AR 15-6 findings are a common basis for a GOMOR.
Can an AR 15-6 lead to an administrative separation?
Yes. The findings can support an enlisted separation or an officer elimination action.
Is an AR 15-6 a criminal investigation?
No, it is administrative, but evidence and statements can be shared with law enforcement and used in later proceedings.
Can I challenge AR 15-6 findings?
Yes. You can submit a rebuttal, request reconsideration with new evidence, and later seek correction of records.
Speak with a civilian military defense lawyer
If you are dealing with this now, the next step is a confidential conversation about the allegation, the evidence, your deadlines and what is at stake. Gonzalez & Waddington represents service members worldwide.
Call 1-800-921-8607 or text 954-799-4019 to request a consultation.