Introduction
1.These explanatory notes relate to the Armed Forces Act that received Royal Assent on Wednesday 8th November 2006. They have been prepared by the Ministry of Defence in order to assist the reader in understanding the Act. They do not form part of the Act and have not been endorsed by Parliament.
2.The notes need to be read in conjunction with the Act. They are not, and are not meant to be, a comprehensive description of the Act. So, where a section or part of a section does not seem to require any explanation or comment, none is given.
3.There is an explanation of the background to the Act in paragraphs 5 to 15. The Act comprises a number of parts, grouped into main subject areas. Paragraphs 16 to 39 give an overview of the Act, its structure and the key elements of each part. The main areas are introduced and described separately in the commentary.
4.Terms used in the Act are explained in these notes where they first appear and a glossary of terms is at Annex A. A table of comparative ranks of members of each of the three Services is at Annex B.