What This Field Means
Organizations temporarily placed with the unit for support, control, or a particular mission.
This describes forces temporarily placed with the unit for control, support, or a particular mission. It helps reconstruct what a veteran actually served alongside during a deployment or operation without rewriting permanent organization.
How to Read It Correctly
Attachment does not automatically transfer administrative ownership, organic membership, or lineage. A unit can be attached for employment while remaining assigned and administered elsewhere.
Example
An engineer company attached to a task force for an operation.
Technical Specification
The database column is [USMIL-Unit].[Unit].[AttachedComposition]. Optional evidence-derived attachment narrative. Attachment changes the employment relationship without automatically changing permanent ownership or lineage.
Record the attached element, supported purpose, and effective period when known. Treat the field as a summary of evidence-backed relationships, not as permission to infer attachment from co-location.
| Property | Definition or current value |
|---|---|
| Database column | AttachedComposition |
| Column order | 25 |
| SQL data type | nvarchar(max) |
| Kind of information | Evidence-derived text |
| Cardinality | One stored value per Unit row. |
| Required | No; NULL is permitted |
| Database default | No database default |
| Key or relationship | None |
| Database check constraint | ([CurrentStatus]=N'Planned' OR [CurrentStatus]=N'Status unknown' OR [CurrentStatus]=N'Historical' OR [CurrentStatus]=N'Inactive' OR [CurrentStatus]=N'Current') |
| Live population | 27 of 9341 Unit records (0.29%) |
| Distinct nonblank values in the live table | 9 |
| Live profile measured | September 2, 2026, 20:43 UTC |
Allowed Values and Definitions
No preset menu applies to this field. It stores an identifier, relationship, measurement, date, timestamp, or evidence-derived narrative. Valid content is governed by the SQL type, key relationship, nullability, retained evidence, and the field-specific recording rule above. A list of observed contents would be data, not a list of allowed options.
Missing, Unknown, and Conflicting Information
A database NULL is permitted and means that no value is presently stored. It does not prove that the fact never existed, that the answer is no, or that the concept does not apply. Missing information must remain visibly different from a supported negative or inapplicable conclusion.
Connections to Other Fields
- Assigned Composition — Organizations or personnel formally assigned to the unit even though they may not be organic to its standard structure.
- Organic Composition — The people or subordinate organizations that belong to the unit by its normal design rather than by a temporary assignment.
- Assignment Status — How the unit is connected to another command—assigned, allocated, attached, supporting, or supported.
- Operational Command — The command directing or employing the unit for an operation, deployment, exercise, or assigned mission.
- Operational Context — The operation, campaign, exercise, contingency, or standing plan in which a command relationship or unit activity applies.