What is the difference between a Bad Conduct Discharge and a Dishonorable Discharge?

What is the difference between a Bad Conduct Discharge and a Dishonorable Discharge?

• A. A Bad Conduct Discharge is issued as a result of an approved sentence of a general or special court-martial and a Dishonorable Discharge is issued only as a result of an approved sentence of a general court-martial.
• B. A Bad Conduct Discharge and a Dishonorable Discharge are both issued only after a general court-martial and have identical consequences.
• C. A Bad Conduct Discharge is administrative, while a Dishonorable Discharge is not.
• D. A Dishonorable Discharge can be issued after any court-martial, while a Bad Conduct Discharge cannot.

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is when each punitive discharge can be issued and by what kind of court-martial. A Bad Conduct Discharge is a punitive discharge that can be imposed as part of an approved sentence from either a general court-martial or a special court-martial. A Dishonorable Discharge is the most severe punitive discharge and is issued only after an approved sentence from a general court-martial. Therefore, the statement that reflects this difference—BCD can come from general or special court-martial, while DD comes only from a general court-martial—is correct. The other options misstate who can impose the discharge (or describe it as administrative) or claim that DD can come from any court-martial, which isn’t the case.

The essential idea is when each punitive discharge can be issued and by what kind of court-martial. A Bad Conduct Discharge is a punitive discharge that can be imposed as part of an approved sentence from either a general court-martial or a special court-martial. A Dishonorable Discharge is the most severe punitive discharge and is issued only after an approved sentence from a general court-martial. Therefore, the statement that reflects this difference—BCD can come from general or special court-martial, while DD comes only from a general court-martial—is correct. The other options misstate who can impose the discharge (or describe it as administrative) or claim that DD can come from any court-martial, which isn’t the case.