FORT MEADE, Md. — The former boss of a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., testified Monday that she was shocked when the base commander asked for advance notice of any orders she planned to give regarding the confinement of Private First Class Bradley Manning, the soldier charged with sending classified information to the antisecrecy website WikiLeaks.

The request was surprising because brig commanders have sole authority to determine the custody status of detainees, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Denise Barnes said.