diff --git a/kernel/microkernel/cmdPkt.c b/kernel/microkernel/cmdPkt.c
index 247afc07ea5..61306f38106 100644
--- a/kernel/microkernel/cmdPkt.c
+++ b/kernel/microkernel/cmdPkt.c
@@ -60,12 +60,12 @@ that have an ISR component should use their own command packet set.
 
 /*
  * generate build error by defining a negative-size array if the hard-coded
- * command packet size is smaller than the actual size; otherwise, define
+ * command packet size differs from the actual size; otherwise, define
  * a zero-element array that gets thrown away by linker
  */
 
 uint32_t _k_test_cmd_pkt_size
-	[0 - ((CMD_PKT_SIZE_IN_WORDS * sizeof(uint32_t)) < sizeof(struct k_args))];
+	[0 - ((CMD_PKT_SIZE_IN_WORDS * sizeof(uint32_t)) != sizeof(struct k_args))];
 
 /*******************************************************************************
  *
diff --git a/kernel/microkernel/include/kernel_struct.h b/kernel/microkernel/include/kernel_struct.h
index d702873a83e..f1c5d7d2cc1 100644
--- a/kernel/microkernel/include/kernel_struct.h
+++ b/kernel/microkernel/include/kernel_struct.h
@@ -448,12 +448,23 @@ union k_args_args {
 	struct k_chack ChAck;
 };
 
+/*
+ * The size of the k_args structure must be equivalent to ...
+ *     CMD_PKT_SIZE_IN_WORDS * sizeof(uint32_t)
+ * To this end the entire structure is packed.  This ensures that the compiler
+ * aligns 'Args' to a 4-byte boundary.  If left unpacked, then some compilers
+ * may provide an extra 4 bytes of padding to align it to an 8-byte boundary,
+ * thereby violating the previously stated equivalence.
+ */
 struct k_args {
 	struct k_args *Forw;
 	struct k_args **Head;
 	kpriority_t Prio;
-	bool    alloc;          /* true if allocated via GETARGS(); else false */
-	K_COMM Comm;
+
+	/* 'alloc' is true if k_args is allocated via GETARGS() */
+	bool   alloc __aligned(4);
+	K_COMM Comm __aligned(4);
+
 	K_CREF Ctxt;
 	union {
 		int32_t ticks;
@@ -461,7 +472,7 @@ struct k_args {
 		int rcode;
 	} Time;
 	K_ARGS_ARGS Args;
-};
+} __packed;
 
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* KERNEL OBJECT STRUCTURES */