What This Field Means
The service-specific organizational system in which the unit’s type and level make sense.
This identifies the service-specific organizational framework needed to interpret the unit correctly. A wing, fleet, regiment, district, mission delta, and commissioned cutter command cannot all be understood through one branch’s hierarchy.
How to Read It Correctly
The field is not merely the branch name and does not duplicate Armed Service. It describes the governing structure or organizational tradition in which native titles and relationships have meaning.
Example
Air Force wing-group-squadron structure or Navy fleet-type-command structure.
Technical Specification
The database column is [USMIL-Unit].[Unit].[ServiceUnitSystem]. Optional narrative describing the governing service force-structure framework. It preserves differences among land, air, maritime, space, Guard, and joint structures.
Describe the applicable system at the level supported by evidence, including joint, Guard, Reserve, maritime, space, or specialized command frameworks. Avoid forcing a unit into an Army-style ladder when its service uses a different model.
| Property | Definition or current value |
|---|---|
| Database column | ServiceUnitSystem |
| Column order | 13 |
| SQL data type | nvarchar(256) |
| 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 | 9341 of 9341 Unit records (100%) |
| Distinct nonblank values in the live table | 941 |
| 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
- Armed Service — The branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to which the unit belongs, or whether it is joint.
- Force Component — Whether the unit belongs to the regular force, Reserve, National Guard, or another supported component.
- Native Unit Type — The exact type of organization used by its own service, including specialized terms that may not exist in other branches.
- Native Echelon — The unit level used by its own service, such as company, battalion, squadron, wing, fleet, or delta.
- Normalized Unit Scale — A broad comparison level that helps relate differently named organizations across the services.