(a) Applies to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Military Departments, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Defense Agencies, and the DoD Field Activities (hereafter referred to collectively as “the DoD Components”). The term “Military Services,” as used herein, refers to the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and includes the Coast Guard when operating as a Military Service in the Navy. The term Commander, as used herein, also means Heads of the DoD Components.

(b) Does not apply to the Stars and Stripes (S&S) newspapers and business operations. S&S guidance is provided in DoD Directive 5122.11.^[2]

(c) The term Commander, as used in this part, also means Heads of the DoD Components.