What This Field Means
The geographic area or assigned function for which the unit or command is responsible.
This describes the geographic region or functional scope for which the unit or command is formally responsible. It shows the reach of the organization even when its headquarters is located somewhere else.
How to Read It Correctly
An area of responsibility is not a home station, operating location, deployment route, or every place where the unit can act. Functional commands can also have worldwide responsibilities without owning every location.
Example
A geographic region, maritime district, or worldwide functional responsibility.
Technical Specification
The database column is [USMIL-Unit].[Unit].[AreaOfResponsibility]. Optional responsibility-area narrative. It describes formal responsibility and must not be reduced to the headquarters’ physical location.
Use the official geographic or functional scope supported by command documents or authoritative descriptions. Preserve boundaries, dates, and qualifiers when known rather than reducing the field to a loose place name.
| Property | Definition or current value |
|---|---|
| Database column | AreaOfResponsibility |
| Column order | 40 |
| SQL data type | nvarchar(2048) |
| 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 | 2324 of 9341 Unit records (24.88%) |
| Distinct nonblank values in the live table | 1571 |
| 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
- Operating Location — A place where the unit is operating, deployed, detached, or rotating, which may be different from its home station.
- Home Station or Homeport — The installation, base, station, or port the unit normally calls home.
- Operational Command — The command directing or employing the unit for an operation, deployment, exercise, or assigned mission.
- Warfighting Domain — The physical or operational environments in which the unit performs its work.
- Operational Context — The operation, campaign, exercise, contingency, or standing plan in which a command relationship or unit activity applies.