The military chain of command has been in existence for several millennia and is a fundamental part of a structured environment. The chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders are typically passed within a military organization. Orders are transmitted down the chain of command, from a higher ranked individual such as a cadet officer to lower-ranked personnel who either execute the order personally or continue to transmit it down the chain as appropriate, until it is received by those expected to execute it. While the basic reason for the military’s use of the chain of command is efficiency, it also:
- Communicates objectives/information from higher positions/functions to lower positions/functions.
- Communicates responses from lower positions/functions to higher positions/functions.
- Allows cadets to voice grievances on policies, directives/orders, or perceived wrong doings (if the complaint is about an aerospace academic grade, the cadet should communicate directly with the SASI/ASI).
When using the chain of command to voice a complaint, a cadet must do the following:
- Talk with your immediate superior about the concern first. This is extremely important because most complaints are resolved at this level.
- If talking with your superior fails to resolve the problem, then use the organizational chart found in this guide to figure out who is next in the chain of command to express your grievance.
- This process is repeated until the cadet feels that their grievance has been addressed to their satisfaction or they have reached the highest level in the chain of command. Although extremely unusual, it is conceivable for a complaint to go all the way to the SASI/ASI.