Insubordination was the act of a subordinate member of an organization willfully refusing to obey an order from their superior. Organizations with a chain of command, such as military forces, have insubordination as an offense to ensure that subordinates follow their given instructions. Officers who commit this act may face a number of penalties, such as being placed on report, transferred, or possibly stronger penalties such as being demoted or dismissed from service in the case of repeated offenses.