What This Field Means
The official order, directive, roster, law, or other record that supports the unit’s creation or recognition.
This points readers toward the particular order, directive, law, roster, register, or history that documents the unit’s formal standing. It makes the constitutional claim traceable instead of asking readers to accept it without a source.
How to Read It Correctly
It is not a substitute for the retained evidence record and does not need to be the same item chosen as Primary Evidence. A document can authorize the unit while another source is better for confirming its name, dates, or present status.
Example
An activation order, mission directive, official roster, or lineage history.
Technical Specification
The database column is [USMIL-Unit].[Unit].[AuthorizationDocument]. Optional source-specific citation or narrative. A blank document field does not invalidate an identity when other authoritative evidence establishes the unit.
Record enough citation detail to identify the document reliably: title or order number, issuing authority, and date when known. A blank value is acceptable when authority is established through other evidence but a discrete authorization document has not been identified.
| Property | Definition or current value |
|---|---|
| Database column | AuthorizationDocument |
| Column order | 11 |
| 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 | 9340 of 9341 Unit records (99.99%) |
| Distinct nonblank values in the live table | 4508 |
| 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
- Authorizing Authority — The department, service, command, law, order, or official body that established or recognized the organization.
- Constitution Status — What is known about how the unit was constituted, organized, activated, commissioned, or otherwise formally brought into being.
- Primary Evidence — The principal retained source supporting the unit’s identity in this record.
- Evidence Authority — Why the supporting source is considered reliable enough to establish or describe the unit.
- Activation or Commission Date — The documented date the unit was activated or a ship or cutter command was commissioned.