Terms used in this chapter mean:

(1) “Accuser,” a person who signs and swears to charges, any person who directs that charges nominally be signed and sworn to by another, and any other person who has an interest other than an official interest in the prosecution of the accused;

(2) “Cadet,” “candidate,” or “midshipman,” a person who is enrolled in or attending a state military academy, a regional training institute, or any other formal education program for the purpose of becoming a commissioned officer in the state military forces;

(3) “Classified information,”:

(a) Any information or material that has been determined by an official of the United States or any state pursuant to law, an executive order, or regulation to require protection against unauthorized disclosure for reasons of national or state security; and

(b) Any restricted data, as defined in section 11(y) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. § 2014(y)) as of January 1, 2012;

(4) “Code,” this chapter;

(5) “Commanding officer,” includes only commissioned officers of the state military forces and shall include officers in charge only when administering nonjudicial punishment pursuant to this code. The term, commander, has the same meaning as commanding officer;

(6) “Convening authority,” includes, in addition to the person who convened the court, a commissioned officer commanding for the time being or a successor in command to the convening authority;

(7) “Day,” a calendar day and is not synonymous with the term, unit training assembly. Any punishment authorized by this code which is measured in terms of days shall, if served in a status other than annual field training, be construed to mean succeeding duty days;

(8) “Duty status other than state active duty,” any other type of duty not in federal service and not full-time duty in the active service of the state under an order issued by authority of law and includes travel to and from such duty;

(9) “Enlisted member,” a person in an enlisted grade;

(10) “Judge advocate,” a commissioned officer of the organized state military forces who is a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state, and is:

(a) Certified or designated as a judge advocate in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the Army, Air Force, Navy, or the Marine Corps or designated as a law specialist as an officer of the Coast Guard, or a reserve component of one of these; or

(b) Certified as a nonfederally recognized judge advocate by the senior judge advocate of the commander of the force in the state military forces of which the accused is a member, as competent to perform such military justice duties required by this code. If there is no such judge advocate available, then such certification may be made by such senior judge advocate of the commander of another force in the state military forces, as the convening authority directs;

(11) “Military court,” a court-martial or a court of inquiry;

(12) “Military judge,” an official of a general or special court-martial detailed in accordance with § 33-10-77;

(13) “Military offenses,” those offenses prescribed under this chapter;

(14) “National security,” the national defense and foreign relations of the United States;

(15) “Officer,” a commissioned or warrant officer;

(16) “Officer in charge,” a member of the Army or Air Force designated as such by appropriate authority;

(17) “Record,” when used in connection with the proceedings of a court-martial:

(a) An official written transcript, written summary, or other writing relating to the proceedings; or

(b) An official audiotape, videotape, digital image or file, or similar material from which sound, or sound and visual images, depicting the proceedings may be reproduced;

(18) “State,” one of the several states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands;

(19) “State active duty,” full-time duty in the state military forces under an order of the Governor or otherwise issued by authority of law, and paid by state funds, and includes travel to and from such duty;

(20) “Senior force judge advocate,” the senior judge advocate of the commander of the same force of the state military forces as the accused and who is that commander’s chief legal advisor;

(21) “State military forces,” the National Guard of the State of South Dakota, as defined in Title 32, United States Code, and any other military force organized under the Constitution and laws of this State, when not in a status subjecting them to exclusive jurisdiction under chapter 47 of Title 10, United States Code;

(22) “Superior commissioned officer,” a commissioned officer superior in rank or command;

(23) “Senior force commander,” the commander of the same force of the state military forces as the accused.

Source: SL 2012, ch 175, § 1; SL 2023, ch 109, § 10.