What This Field Means
The military effects or services the unit can provide, which may span several different mission areas.
This records the effects, services, or operational abilities the unit can provide—such as lift, ISR, sustainment, communications, strike, or command and control. It describes what the unit can enable, not merely what it is called.
How to Read It Correctly
Capability is not identical to primary mission, equipment list, domain, or readiness. Different unit types can provide the same capability, and one unit can carry several capabilities.
Example
ISR, lift, sustainment, communications, or command and control.
Technical Specification
The database column is [USMIL-Unit].[Unit].[CapabilitySet]. Optional capability summary related to the many-valued Capability ontology. It should not be mistaken for a single primary mission.
Select all controlled capability values directly supported by mission statements, authorizations, or other evidence. Do not infer a capability from a single piece of equipment without evidence that the organization can deliver the corresponding effect.
| Property | Definition or current value |
|---|---|
| Database column | CapabilitySet |
| Column order | 31 |
| SQL data type | nvarchar(2048) |
| Kind of information | Ontology-controlled classification with a scalar Unit-table summary |
| Cardinality | Unit table: one scalar summary per row. Ontology dimension: multiple; time-varying: true. |
| 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 | 817 of 9341 Unit records (8.75%) |
| Distinct nonblank values in the live table | 718 |
| Live profile measured | September 2, 2026, 20:43 UTC |
Allowed Values and Definitions
The complete active controlled vocabulary is listed below. The ontology is authoritative for normalized options. Narrative or legacy phrases found in the scalar Unit-table column are current data expressions, not additional approved options.
| Ontology property | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ontology dimension | Capability |
| Dimension number | 30 |
| Ontology definition | Evidenced capabilities such as ISR, strike, lift, mobility, sustainment, engineering, communications, and command and control. |
| Ontology cardinality | multiple |
| Changes over time | Yes |
| Active controlled options | 16 |
| Canonical option | Code | Plain-language definition | Technical definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | unknown | The evidence reviewed so far does not establish a value. | No supported value is asserted; this is an evidentiary state, not a positive classification. |
| Not applicable | not-applicable | This question does not apply to this kind of unit or relationship. | The dimension is intentionally inapplicable to the subject type; it is not missing data. |
| Unresolved | unresolved | The unit is known, but the available evidence does not yet settle this particular point. | Confirms that resolution remains open after review without asserting a competing value. |
| Needs review | needs-review | The retained evidence needs additional review before a reliable value can be shown. | Places the assertion in a review-required disposition rather than accepting a substantive value. |
| Source conflict | source-conflict | Reliable sources disagree, so the guide preserves the disagreement instead of choosing one silently. | Records an unresolved conflict among retained sources and prevents false canonical certainty. |
| ISR | isr | ISR means the ability to integrate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance activities to develop and distribute useful information. | Controlled capability code 'isr' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Strike | strike | Strike means the ability to attack selected targets and produce intended effects through military action. | Controlled capability code 'strike' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Lift | lift | Lift means the ability to transport personnel, equipment, or supplies by air, sea, or another supported mode. | Controlled capability code 'lift' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Mobility | mobility | Mobility means the ability to move forces or enable their movement, access, maneuver, and positioning. | Controlled capability code 'mobility' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Air defense | air-defense | Air defense means the ability to detect, track, deter, or defeat hostile aircraft, missiles, and related airborne threats. | Controlled capability code 'air-defense' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Sustainment | sustainment | Sustainment means the ability to provide logistics, personnel services, health support, and other support needed to maintain operations. | Controlled capability code 'sustainment' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Engineering | engineering | Engineering means the ability to provide construction, infrastructure, mobility, countermobility, survivability, or specialized technical support. | Controlled capability code 'engineering' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Communications | communications | Communications means the ability to transmit and receive information through military communication systems and networks. | Controlled capability code 'communications' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Command and control | command-and-control | Command and control means the ability to exercise authority and direction over assigned and attached forces in accomplishing a mission. | Controlled capability code 'command-and-control' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Deterrence | deterrence | Deterrence means the ability to discourage an action by credibly communicating and maintaining the capacity to impose unacceptable costs or deny objectives. | Controlled capability code 'deterrence' in ontology Dimension 30. Capability is many-valued and time-varying and records an evidenced ability or effect rather than a unit name, primary mission, or equipment item. |
| Another evidenced capability | another-evidenced-capability | Another evidenced capability is used when authoritative evidence establishes a capability not represented by the named standard choices. | Controlled catch-all code 'another-evidenced-capability' in ontology Dimension 30. Use requires explicit source support; recurring concepts should receive a separately defined extension rather than accumulating as unexplained catch-all data. |
How the Live Unit Table Uses This Field
The scalar Unit-table column currently contains 718 distinct nonblank expressions. The 20 most frequently used expressions are shown below; these are evidence-derived or legacy contents, not extra controlled options.
| Observed live expression | Live Unit records |
|---|---|
| Naval-gunfire liaison, observation, spotting, fire-support coordination, and advisory support | 18 |
| Public affairs | 10 |
| Marine aviation detachment support; exact capability set source-limited | 7 |
| Tactical rotary-wing assault support, utility lift, liaison, and expeditionary aviation support | 7 |
| Radar early warning, air surveillance, and ground-control support | 7 |
| All-weather fixed-wing attack aviation; exact source-period aircraft and capabilities vary | 5 |
| Intelligence training and education | 5 |
| Pay support; personnel transactions; gains and losses; entitlements; administrative records | 4 |
| Carrier fighter, torpedo-bomber, and carrier-aircraft service support | 4 |
| LORAN navigation-signal operations, station watchstanding, and local Coast Guard emergency response | 4 |
| Air sovereignty, warning, interception, battle management, and sector command and control | 4 |
| Unit-specific aircraft and capability set reviewed unknown from the retained official command list | 4 |
| Integrated ground combat, aviation support, logistics, and command and control | 4 |
| Assault-support aviation and expeditionary troop, supply, and equipment transport | 4 |
| Marine infantry combat operations | 3 |
| Fleet technical, refresher, and precommissioning training | 3 |
| Fleet air logistics, passenger and cargo transportation, and carrier onboard delivery support | 3 |
| Amphibious tactical air control and coordination | 3 |
| Recruiting | 3 |
| Marine aviation group operations; exact source-period capabilities unresolved | 2 |
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.
The controlled uncertainty values are deliberately different: Unknown means evidence has not established a value; Unresolved means the question remains open after review; Needs review identifies work still requiring evaluation; Source conflict preserves disagreement among retained sources; and Not applicable means the dimension does not apply to the subject.
Connections to Other Fields
- Mission Function — The principal work the unit is organized or documented to perform.
- Authorized Equipment — The equipment the unit is officially structured or authorized to possess.
- Warfighting Domain — The physical or operational environments in which the unit performs its work.
- Unit Deployability — Whether and how the unit can move from its normal location to perform a mission elsewhere.
- Operational Context — The operation, campaign, exercise, contingency, or standing plan in which a command relationship or unit activity applies.