http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/52/section/374Armed Forces Act 2006An Act to make provision with respect to the armed forces; and for connected purposes.texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2026-10-05Expert Participation2026-10-05 Part 19SupplementaryChapter 3InterpretationDefinitions applying for purposes of whole Act374In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—“the 2003 Act” means the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c. 44);“absolute discharge” has the meaning given by section 185;“additional duties commitment” means a commitment entered into under section 25 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 (c. 14), and references to a person being subject to such a commitment are to be read in accordance with section 377(4) of this Act;“aircraft” means any machine capable of flight (whether or not propelled by mechanical means), including any description of balloon;“airman” means a person whose rank is junior technician, senior aircraftman, leading aircraftman or aircraftman;“associated”, in relation to offences, is to be read in accordance with section 400 of the Sentencing Code;“British overseas territory police force” has the meaning given by section 375;“capable of being heard summarily”, in relation to a charge, is to be read in accordance with section 52;“civilian court” means a court of ordinary criminal jurisdiction;“civilian subject to service discipline” has the meaning given by section 370;“commanding officer” is to be read in accordance with section 360;“Commonwealth country” means a country, other than the United Kingdom, that is a member of the Commonwealth;“Commonwealth force” means a force of a Commonwealth country;“community punishment” means—a service community order; oran overseas community order;“conditional discharge” has the meaning given by section 185;“the corresponding offence under the law of England and Wales”, in relation to an offence under section 42, has the meaning given by that section;“the court administration officer” means the court administration officer for the Court Martial, the Service Civilian Court and the Summary Appeal Court appointed under section 363;“Court Martial rules” has the meaning given by section 163(1);“the Crown Court” means the Crown Court in England and Wales;“custodial sentence” means—a sentence of imprisonment (as to which, see section 208);a sentence of detention under section 209 , 221 or 221A (detention of offenders under 18);an order under section 211 (detention and training for young offenders);a sentence of detention during Her Majesty's pleasure under section 218;a sentence of detention for public protection under section 226 of the 2003 Act passed as a result of section 221 of this Act; ...a sentence of detention under section 228 of that Act passed as a result of section 222 of this Act; a sentence of detention in a young offender institution imposed under or as a result of this Act;a sentence of custody for life imposed under or as a result of this Act;“deserting” has the meaning given by section 8, and references to desertion are to be read accordingly;“the Director of Service Prosecutions” means the person appointed under section 364;“enemy” includes—all persons engaged in armed operations against any of Her Majesty's forces or against any force co-operating with any of Her Majesty's forces;all pirates; andall armed mutineers, armed rebels and armed rioters;“an ex-regular reserve force” means the Royal Fleet Reserve, the Army Reserve or the Royal Air Force Reserve;“fit to stand trial” is to be read in accordance with section 166(2);“guardian” has the same meaning as in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (c. 12);“Her Majesty's air forces”, “Her Majesty's forces” and “Her Majesty's military forces” do not include any Commonwealth force;“higher authority” has the meaning given by section 361;“judge advocate” has the meaning given by section 362;“mental disorder” has the same meaning as in the Mental Health Act 1983 (c. 20) and “mentally disordered” is to be read accordingly;“minor punishment” means a punishment under row 7 of the Table in section 132 or row 11 of the Table in section 164;“non-commissioned officer” includes a person whose rate is chief petty officer, petty officer or leading rate;“officer” includes a midshipman;“overseas community order” has the meaning given by section 182;“overseas police force” has the meaning given by section 375;“PACE” means the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (c. 60);“the prescribed sum” has the meaning given by section 32(9) of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43);“property” includes—real property in England, Wales or Northern Ireland;heritable property in Scotland;property outside the United Kingdom in the nature of real property;“provost officer” means an officer who is a service policeman;“the regular army” means any of Her Majesty's military forces other than—the Army Reserve;the Territorial Army; andforces raised under the law of a British overseas territory;“the regular forces” means the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the regular army or the Royal Air Force, and references to “a regular force” are to be read accordingly;“the reserve forces” means the Royal Fleet Reserve, the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Marines Reserve, the Army Reserve, the Territorial Army, the Royal Air Force Reserve or the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, and references to “a reserve force” are to be read accordingly;“SAC rules” has the meaning given by section 151(1);“SCC rules” has the meaning given by section 288(1);“the Sentencing Act” means the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (c. 6);“service community order” has the meaning given by section 178;“service compensation order” has the meaning given by section 175;... ... “service detention” means detention under row 1 of the Table in section 132 or row 4 of the Table in section 164;“service offence” has the meaning given by section 50;“service police force” and “service policeman” have the meanings given by section 375;“the Service Prosecuting Authority” means the Director of Service Prosecutions and the persons appointed under section 365 (prosecuting officers);“service supervision and punishment order” has the meaning given by section 173;“ship” includes a hovercraft and any description of vessel;“standard scale” is to be read in accordance with section 377(5) and (7);“statutory maximum” is to be read in accordance with section 377(6) and (7);“subject to service law” is to be read in accordance with sections 367 to 369 of this Act and section 4(3)(a) (attached Commonwealth personnel) of the Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) Act 1933 (c. 6);“superior officer”, in relation to a person (“A”), means an officer, warrant officer or non-commissioned officer who is subject to service law and—is of superior rank or rate to A; oris of equal rank or rate to A and is exercising authority as A's superior;“suspended sentence of imprisonment” means a sentence to which an order under section 286 of the Sentencing Code relates;“suspended sentence of service detention” has the meaning given by section 190; “tri-service serious crime unit” means the unit described in section 375(1A); “UK police force” has the meaning given by section 375;“unfit to stand trial” is to be read in accordance with section 166(2);“a volunteer reserve force” means the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Marines Reserve, the Territorial Army or the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.S. 374 in force at 1.10.2008 for specified purposes by S.I. 2008/1650, art. 2(b)S. 374 definition excluded (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces (Naval Chaplains) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/826), regs. 1, 4(1)(2) (with reg. 2(c))S. 374 in force at 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force by S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4S. 374 definition extended (24.4.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by S.I. 2009/1059, art. 1, Sch. 2 para. 16 (as amended (E.W.) (3.12.2012) by The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Consequential and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/2824), regs. 1, 5(4))S. 374 in force at 28.3.2009 for specified purposes by S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059)Words in s. 374 omitted (1.1.2016) by virtue of Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Act 2015 (c. 19), s. 7(1), Sch. para. 11(a); S.I. 2015/1957, reg. 2 (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2015/1969)S. 374 modified (1.12.2020 immediately before the consolidation date (see 2020 c. 9, ss. 3, 5(2)(3) and 2020 c. 17, ss. 2, 416)) by Sentencing (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Act 2020 (c. 9), ss. 1, 5(2)(3) (with s. 5(9)); S.I. 2012/1236, reg. 2Words in s. 374 substituted (1.12.2020) by Sentencing Act 2020 (c. 17), s. 416(1), Sch. 25 para. 78(2) (with s. 416(7), Sch. 27); S.I. 2020/1236, reg. 2Words in s. 374 substituted (1.12.2020) by Sentencing Act 2020 (c. 17), s. 416(1), Sch. 25 para. 78(3)(a) (with s. 416(7), Sch. 27); S.I. 2020/1236, reg. 2Words in s. 374 omitted (1.12.2020) by virtue of Sentencing Act 2020 (c. 17), s. 416(1), Sch. 25 para. 78(3)(b) (with s. 416(7), Sch. 27); S.I. 2020/1236, reg. 2Words in s. 374 inserted (1.12.2020) by Sentencing Act 2020 (c. 17), s. 416(1), Sch. 25 para. 78(3)(c) (with s. 416(7), Sch. 27); S.I. 2020/1236, reg. 2Words in s. 374 substituted (1.12.2020) by Sentencing Act 2020 (c. 17), s. 416(1), Sch. 25 para. 78(4) (with s. 416(7), Sch. 27); S.I. 2020/1236, reg. 2Words in s. 374 inserted (1.5.2022 for specified purposes, 5.12.2022 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2021 (c. 35), s. 24(1), Sch. 5 para. 32; S.I. 2022/471, reg. 2(e); S.I. 2022/1095, reg. 4Words in s. 374 omitted (1.4.2026) by virtue of Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025 (c. 23), s. 7(2), Sch. 2 para. 24; S.I. 2026/14, regs. 2, 4(e) (with reg. 5)