There is indeed an intermediate level, Mr. Chairman. Once the grievance has been submitted to the commander, the initial authority intervenes.
The initial authority will basically consider and determine the grievance on its merits. When a member is not satisfied with either the response or the remedy provided to the griever, he or she may actually submit his or her grievance to the next level, which is the final level. There is an intermediate step or an initial step, which does not preclude the commanding officer from initially trying to resolve the issue administratively.