Who is in charge of the appeals for NJP?

• A. The CO
• B. The first flag officer above the CO
• C. The Judge Advocate General
• D. The Command Master Chief

Answer: (D)

The important idea here is who handles the appeal process after NJP. In Navy practice, the person who reviews and manages NJP appeals is the command’s senior enlisted leader, the Command Master Chief. This role is focused on enlisted discipline within the command and serves as the escalation point for NJP actions, coordinating the appeal within the chain of command and ensuring proper procedures were followed. The Judge Advocate General provides legal counsel, but does not preside over the merits of the appeal. The commanding officer who imposed the NJP is the initial action authority, but an appeal moves up the chain to a higher authority within the command, which at the enlisted level is the Command Master Chief. Junior officers or the first flag officer above the CO may become involved at higher levels or in more significant cases, but for the typical NJP appeal process at the command level, the Command Master Chief is the designated appeals authority.