Military Justice, Standards, and Corrective Actions
The framework
The UCMJ is statutory law; AR 27-10 implements it for the Army. Courts-martial come in three levels: summary, special, and general. Nonjudicial punishment is Article 15 - administrative, not a criminal conviction, but it does create a record. Article 31 protects a Soldier from compulsory self-incrimination: the Soldier must be told the nature of the suspected offense, that he need not answer, and that any statement may be used against him.
Article 15 mechanics
Summarized: no appeal, no right to demand trial, and the record is not filed in the OMPF. Formal: the Soldier may consult counsel, present matters in mitigation or extenuation, appeal to the next higher authority, and - unless attached to or embarked in a vessel - demand trial by court-martial. A company-grade commander may impose up to 14 days of restriction and 14 days of extra duty; a field-grade commander up to 60 days of restriction and 45 days of extra duty. Confirm exact ceilings in the current Manual for Courts-Martial before quoting them.
Corrective action
Corrective action is a leadership tool; punishment is a legal one. Nonpunitive measures - counseling, retraining, on-the-spot correction, admonition, denial of privileges - are the first resort when they will fix the problem. Escalate when behavior is serious, repeated, or creates risk.
Traps
Assuming a Soldier may always demand trial (not so if attached to or embarked in a vessel); assuming a summarized Article 15 carries appeal rights; treating an Article 15 as a federal conviction.
Rule of thumb
Before recommending action, ask two questions: is the standard clear to the Soldier, and what is the least intrusive measure that will correct the behavior?