After your company commander reads you the charges that will be brought against you, you might be left with a lot of questions. If the command is recommending a General Court-Martial, what you can expect next is an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a grand jury indictment.
The Convening Authority will appoint an investigating officer who is typically an O-4 or higher. The officer’s job is to listen to the testimony of witnesses and consider all evidence provided by the prosecutors. The Convening Authority will then be provided with a recommendation as to whether or not enough evidence exists to refer or not refer the charges and specifications to a general court-martial. If the command is recommending a Special Court-Martial, it will go straight to the Convening Authority for referral.