Uniform Code of Military Justice
Article 1. Definitions.
(a) The term “Judge Advocate General” means the Judge Advocate General exercising the supreme judicial, supervisory, administrative, and legal authority assigned to that office.
(b) The term “Deputy Judge Advocate General” means the Deputy Judge Advocate General exercising the supervisory, administrative, and legal authority assigned to that office and, when formally designated in accordance with law, acting for the Judge Advocate General within the limits of that designation.
(c) The term “Assistant Judge Advocate General” means an Assistant Judge Advocate General exercising the appellate, supervisory, administrative, and legal authority assigned to that office for an assigned service.
(d) The term “Military Judge” means a judicial officer of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps authorized to preside over a court-martial or another military judicial proceeding.
(e) The term “military lawyer” means a person certified or otherwise authorized by the Judge Advocate General’s Corps to practice before the military courts governed by this Code.
(f) The term “Government counsel” means a military lawyer authorized to represent the United States in a proceeding governed by this Code.
(g) The term “defense counsel” means a military lawyer representing an accused or another person against whom proceedings under this Code have been initiated.
(h) The term “accused” means a person against whom one or more charges or specifications have been preferred under this Code.
(i) The term “court-martial” means a military court constituted under this Code for the trial and disposition of one or more charges or specifications.
(j) The term “military court” means a court-martial, a Military Judge exercising judicial authority under this Code, an Assistant Judge Advocate General exercising appellate authority, or the Judge Advocate General exercising final judicial authority.
(k) The term “service” means the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, or Coast Guard.
(l) The term “commanding officer” means a commissioned officer lawfully exercising command over a unit, command, installation, vessel, formation, or other military element.
(m) The term “charge” means a formal accusation identifying an offense alleged to have been committed under this Code.
(n) The term “specification” means the factual allegation accompanying a charge and stating the conduct alleged to constitute the offense.
(o) The term “punitive article” means an Article of this Code establishing an offense for which a person subject to this Code may be tried and punished by court-martial.
(p) The term “sentencing guidelines” means the sentencing standards prescribed by the Judge Advocate General governing the punishments, sentencing ranges, aggravating circumstances, mitigating circumstances, and authorized departures applicable to offenses under this Code.
(q) The term “military property” means property owned, issued, possessed, controlled, or held for the use of the armed forces or another military authority.
(r) The term “official military record” means a record created, received, maintained, or required in the transaction of official military business.
(s) The term “confinement” means physical detention imposed before trial when authorized by law or imposed as punishment following conviction.
(t) The term “ranklock” means a judicially imposed prohibition against promotion or advancement beyond a specified grade for a definite period.
(u) The term “blacklisting” means a judicially imposed prohibition against assignment, membership, appointment, or service within a specifically identified division, command, office, unit, occupational field, or military component.
(v) The term “Military Police” means personnel designated by competent military authority to perform military law-enforcement, security, apprehension, investigative, protective, or related duties under this Code and other controlling law.
(w) The term “military law-enforcement officer” means a member of the Military Police or another person specifically authorized by law or competent military authority to exercise military law-enforcement powers.