Article 15 Punishments by Rank and Commander Level
Key takeaways
- The imposing commander’s grade — company grade, field grade, or general officer — sets the ceiling; your rank determines what can be taken.
- Reduction follows promotion authority: a commander can only reduce from grades they can promote to, and Soldiers above E-6 cannot be reduced at an Article 15.
- Deprivation-of-liberty punishments cannot be stacked to run together, except restriction plus extra duty capped at the extra-duty maximum.
- Reduction and forfeiture take effect the day imposed, even while an appeal is pending.
- Suspension is always on the table — up to four months for reduction/forfeiture and six months for other punishments — and good behavior makes a suspended punishment vanish.
Enlisted punishment chart (Army)
Maximum punishments at an Article 15 are set by MCM Part V and AR 27-10, Table 3-1, and turn on the grade of the imposing commander:
| Punishment | Summarized | Company grade | Field grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra duty | 14 days | 14 days | 45 days |
| Restriction | 14 days | 14 days | 60 days (45 if combined with extra duty) |
| Correctional custody (E-1–E-3) | — | 7 days | 30 days |
| Reduction in grade | — | 1 grade (E-1–E-4) | 1 or more grades (E-1–E-4); 1 grade (E-5–E-6) |
| Forfeiture of pay | — | 7 days’ pay | ½ of 1 month’s pay for 2 months |
| Admonition/reprimand | Oral | Oral | Oral or written |
A general officer imposing NJP on an enlisted Soldier is limited to the same maximums as a field grade commander — the expanded “general officer” punishments exist for officer offenders only.
Officer punishment chart (Army)
| Punishment | Company grade | Field grade | General officer / GCMCA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written admonition/reprimand | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Restriction | 30 days | 30 days | 60 days, or 30 days arrest in quarters |
| Forfeiture of pay | — | — | ½ of 1 month’s pay for 2 months |
In practice, almost all officer NJP is imposed at the general-officer level: commanding generals routinely withhold Article 15 authority over officer misconduct, and company or field grade NJP of another officer is rare. Officer reprimands must be in writing — and for an officer, the reprimand plus its filing is usually the career-ending component, not the restriction. An Article 15 reprimand should never be confused with an administrative GOMOR, which follows different rules under AR 600-37; both, however, can anchor a show-cause board.
Reduction in grade: the promotion-authority rule
The reduction power tracks the promotion power: a commander who can promote to a grade can reduce from it. AR 27-10, para. 3-19. The hard limits:
- Officers cannot be reduced at an Article 15 — ever.
- Enlisted Soldiers above E-6 cannot be reduced at an Article 15.
- E-5 and E-6 can lose at most one stripe, and only at field grade NJP.
- E-4 and below can lose one grade at company grade NJP, and one or more grades at field grade NJP.
For a specialist or sergeant, the stripe is usually the punishment that matters — it changes base pay, housing allowance, and the promotion timeline all at once, and its dollar effect continues long after the extra duty ends.
Forfeitures and pay math
Forfeitures are computed on the grade to which the Soldier is reduced — even if the reduction is suspended. AR 27-10, para. 3-19b. So a sergeant reduced to specialist with a suspended reduction still forfeits pay at the specialist rate. Forfeitures can also be applied against retired pay. A field grade forfeiture of half a month’s pay for two months, stacked on a reduction, is routinely a four-to-five-figure hit; run the numbers before the hearing, not after.
Combination and timing rules
- Punishments may be combined, but two or more deprivation-of-liberty punishments (restriction, extra duty, correctional custody, arrest in quarters) may not run consecutively or concurrently — with one exception: restriction and extra duty may be combined, capped at the extra-duty maximum (45 days at field grade). AR 27-10, para. 3-19b(7).
- For officers, arrest in quarters may not be combined with restriction. MCM pt. V, para. 5d(1).
- Unsuspended reduction and forfeiture take effect the day imposed. Other punishments start that day too, though the commander can delay up to 30 days for legitimate reasons. Once a liberty deprivation starts, it runs continuously. AR 27-10, para. 3-21.
- Punishment generally keeps running during an appeal — but if the appeal authority sits on the appeal past the deadline and the Soldier asks, liberty-deprivation punishments are interrupted until the appeal is decided. AR 27-10, para. 3-21b. See appealing an Article 15.
What this means before your hearing
Know the ceiling before you choose the forum. A company grade Article 15 for an E-4 caps at 14/14/7 and one stripe; the same allegation at field grade risks 45 days of extra duty, a bigger forfeiture, and a deeper reduction. If the command escalates your case to a field grade or sends a summarized action back for formal proceedings, that is a signal about intended severity — and a reason to have a defense lawyer scrutinize the evidence before you accept anything.
Suspension, mitigation, and set-aside
Every punishment number above is a maximum, not a mandate, and every punishment can be softened after the fact (AR 27-10, paras. 3-23 to 3-28):
- Suspension — reduction and forfeiture up to four months; other punishments up to six months; three months for summarized actions. No new misconduct during the period means automatic remission. A violation lets the commander vacate the suspension — and for liberty, rank, or pay punishments, a vacation hearing should be held first.
- Mitigation — the quantity or quality of punishment is reduced.
- Remission — unexecuted punishment is canceled.
- Set-aside — the punishment is undone and rights restored, reserved for “clear injustice”: an unwaived legal or factual error that clearly and affirmatively injured the Soldier’s substantial rights, generally sought within four months.
Suspension requests, mitigation matters, and set-aside petitions are advocacy documents. They succeed when they give the commander a concrete, face-saving reason to sign — strong duty performance, restitution made, treatment underway, an error in the process — not when they simply ask for mercy.
Practitioner’s note
Two quiet rules do outsized work in our NJP practice. First, the forfeiture-follows-reduction rule: clients accept a “suspended” reduction believing it costs nothing, then discover their forfeiture was computed at the reduced grade anyway. Second, the combination cap: commands sometimes write 45 days extra duty and 60 days restriction on the same form — an unlawful stack, since combined restriction and extra duty cannot exceed the 45-day extra-duty cap. An illegal punishment combination is a clean appeal issue and occasionally the lever that reopens the whole action.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum punishment at a field grade Article 15?
For enlisted Soldiers: 45 days extra duty; 60 days restriction (45 if combined with extra duty); reduction of one or more grades for E-4 and below or one grade for E-5/E-6; forfeiture of half a month's pay for two months; 30 days correctional custody for E-1 through E-3; and an oral or written reprimand. AR 27-10, Table 3-1.
Can an NCO be reduced in rank by an Article 15?
E-5s and E-6s can be reduced one grade, but only at a field grade Article 15. Soldiers above E-6 — and all officers — cannot be reduced at an Article 15 at all. Reduction authority tracks promotion authority.
When do Article 15 punishments start?
Punishment generally begins the day it is imposed. Unsuspended reduction and forfeiture take effect immediately; other punishments can be delayed up to 30 days for legitimate reasons, but once a deprivation of liberty starts, it runs continuously.
Can Article 15 punishments be combined?
Yes, but with limits. Deprivation-of-liberty punishments cannot run consecutively or concurrently, except that restriction and extra duty may be combined up to the extra-duty maximum. For officers, arrest in quarters cannot be combined with restriction.
What does it mean to suspend an Article 15 punishment?
The punishment hangs over you but is not executed. Reduction and forfeiture can be suspended up to four months, other punishments up to six. If you avoid misconduct during the period, the punishment is automatically remitted; a violation can lead to vacation of the suspension after notice and, for serious punishments, a hearing.
About the attorneys behind this guide
Michael Waddington, Civilian Military Defense Lawyer
Michael Waddington has spent 25-plus years contesting the punishments this chart describes — and the records they leave behind. A former Army prosecutor and defense counsel, he has repeatedly used unlawful punishment combinations, defective forms, and procedural shortcuts to overturn NJP actions on appeal and to keep improperly maintained Article 15s out of later courts-martial and boards.
Alexandra González-Waddington, Founding Partner
Alexandra González-Waddington, founding partner of Gonzalez & Waddington and author of this guide, has more than 20 years of experience defending service members at every rank — from privates facing their first summarized action to senior NCOs and officers whose careers turn on a single filing decision. She builds punishment-phase presentations and suspension requests that give commanders concrete reasons to choose the lighter path.
Talk to a civilian court-martial defense lawyer today
Gonzalez & Waddington defends Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen worldwide — in UCMJ investigations, courts-martial, Article 15/NJP actions, GOMOR rebuttals, administrative separation boards, and Boards of Inquiry. We defend the whole case: the investigation, the trial, the administrative fallout, and the long-term consequences to your rank, retirement, clearance, and discharge.
Sources for this guide include the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the Manual for Courts-Martial (2024 ed.), the Rules for Courts-Martial, the TJAGLCS Criminal Law Deskbook, and the cited decisions of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the service Courts of Criminal Appeals. It is attorney advertising and general legal information — not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. Service procedures vary; Army references (AR 27-10) are noted where used.