WASHINGTON - A U.S. Army officer is recommending that Pfc.  Bradley E. Manning face a general court-martial for the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history -- the WikiLeaks case.

After an Article 32 hearing under the military legal system, the investigating officer concluded that the "charges and specifications are in the proper form and that reasonable grounds exist to believe that the accused committed the offenses alleged," according to a statement by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.

The recommendation will now be forwarded up the chain of command for a final determination. Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington will make the ultimate decision on whether Manning will stand trial. The military did not provide a timeline for those actions.