Placeholder canvas

Updated AR 600-20 Clarifies Military Authority For Corrective Training

From AR 600-20 Army Command Policy July 2020

4–6. Exercising military authority
a. Military authority is exercised promptly, firmly, courteously
and fairly. Commanders should consider nonpunitive corrective
measures before deciding to impose nonjudicial punishment.

Trial by court-martial is ordinarily inappropriate for minor
offenses unless lesser forms of administering discipline would
be ineffective (see MCM, Part V, and AR 27–10). Nonpunitive
corrective measures are the primary tools for teaching proper
standards of conduct and performance and do not constitute
punishment, nor are they required as a first step toward
nonjudicial punishment.

Included among nonpunitive measures are denial of pass or
other privileges, counseling, administrative reduction in
grade, administrative reprimands and admonitions, extra
training, bar to continued service, and military occupational
specialty (MOS) reclassification. Some of the administrative
corrective actions cited may deteriorate into hazing
and/or bullying; therefore, commanders should monitor whether
the disciplinary efforts of their subordinates are appropriate.

b. One of the most effective nonpunitive corrective measures is
extra training or instruction. For example, if Soldiers appear in
an improper uniform, they are required to correct it immediately;
if they do not maintain their Government housing area properly,
they must correct the deficiency in a timely manner. If Soldiers
have training deficiencies, they will be required to take extra
training or instruction in subjects related to the shortcoming.

(1) The training or instruction given to a Soldier to correct
deficiencies must be appropriately tailored to curing the
deficiency. It must be oriented to improving the Soldier’s
performance in their problem area. Brief physical exercises
are an acceptable form of corrective training for minor acts of
indiscipline (for example, requiring the Soldier to do push-ups
for arriving late to formation), so long as it does not violate the
Army’s policies prohibiting hazing, bullying, and unlawful
punishment.

(2) Corrective measures may be taken after normal duty hours.
Such measures assume the nature of training or instruction, not
punishment. Corrective training should continue only until the
training deficiency is overcome. Authority to use it is part of the
inherent powers of command.

(3) Care should be taken at all levels of command to ensure
that training and instruction are not used in an oppressive
manner to evade the procedural safeguards inherent to the
imposition of nonjudicial punishment. Deficiencies satisfactorily
corrected by means of training and instruction will not be noted
in the official records of the Soldiers concerned

Download the updated AR 600-20 >>