What This Field Means
The exact type of organization used by its own service, including specialized terms that may not exist in other branches.
This preserves the exact kind of organization recognized within its own service, including specialized types that have no clean equivalent elsewhere. It is often the clearest explanation of what the unit actually is.
How to Read It Correctly
Native Unit Type is not limited to echelon words and should not be replaced by a broad cross-service class. “Logistics readiness squadron” carries mission and service meaning that “squadron” or “unit” alone would lose.
Example
Logistics readiness squadron, Marine expeditionary unit, cutter command, or mission delta.
Technical Specification
The database column is [USMIL-Unit].[Unit].[NativeUnitType]. Required service-native type narrative. This intentionally permits a broad vocabulary and must not be flattened into a small universal list.
Use the best-supported service-native type in clear singular form. Because this is an open evidence-derived field, retain meaningful specialty language but do not copy an entire unit name or invent a universal taxonomy.
| Property | Definition or current value |
|---|---|
| Database column | NativeUnitType |
| Column order | 18 |
| SQL data type | nvarchar(256) |
| Kind of information | Evidence-derived text |
| Cardinality | One stored value per Unit row. |
| Required | Yes |
| 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 | 9341 of 9341 Unit records (100%) |
| Distinct nonblank values in the live table | 1407 |
| 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
This column cannot be NULL in the Unit table. When the underlying fact is incomplete, the record must use an allowed explicit disposition or a supported evidence-derived statement. Required storage does not mean that every historical fact is known, and it never authorizes a guessed value.
Connections to Other Fields
- Service Unit System — The service-specific organizational system in which the unit’s type and level make sense.
- Organization Class — The broad institutional form of the organization, such as a command, school, center, company, or defense agency.
- Native Echelon — The unit level used by its own service, such as company, battalion, squadron, wing, fleet, or delta.
- Mission Function — The principal work the unit is organized or documented to perform.
- Official Unit Designation — The unit’s full official name or designation as supported by military records.