Service Department Organizational Structures and Service Number Assignments

Overview

In This Section

This section contains the following topics:

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1. Army Organizational Structure

Introduction

This topic contains information on the Army organizational structure, including

• Army echelons and appropriate designations
• availability of organizational records, and
• other organizational units that may have created records.

Change Date

December 13, 2005

III.ii.2.H.1.a. Army Echelons and Appropriate Designations

The table below lists the Army echelons and appropriate designations.

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III.ii.2.H.1.b. Availability of Organizational Records

Rosters, morning reports, and sick reports may be available down to the company level.

Note: The Army discontinued morning reports in 1974/1975.

III.ii.2.H.1.c. Other Organizational Units that May Have Created Records

Records, including clinical and medical records, may exist for other organizations and units, such as

• garrison-type units, and
• hospitals.

Important: If a unit was considered independent from higher echelons, it may have created its own records.

2. Navy Organizational Structure

Introduction

This topic contains information on the Navy organizational structure, including

• Navy echelons and appropriate designations
• echelons for the
• Naval Air Force
• Naval Surface Force, and
• Naval Submarine Force
• ship designations, and
• shore establishment organization.

Change Date

August 13, 2009

III.ii.2.H.2.a. Navy Echelon and Appropriate Designations

The table below lists the Navy echelon and appropriate designations. For clarification, samples of unit designations are shown in italics.

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III.ii.2.H.2.b. Echelon for the Naval Air Force

The following list shows the echelon for the Naval Air Force:

• carrier strike group (CSG 5)
• carrier air wing, and (CVW-2)
• squadron (VFA-2; VAQ-131)

Notes:

• Carrier strike groups were historically designated carrier battle groups.
• Carrier air wings were historically designated carrier air groups.

III.ii.2.H.2.c. Echelon for the Naval Surface Force

The following list shows the echelon for the Naval Surface Force:

• flagship, and
• Cruiser Destroyer Group Squadron (CCDG-5; DESRON-23)

Note: The Cruiser Destroyer Group Squadron consists of the Surface Group, Service Group Squadron, Amphibious Group Squadron, Mine Group Division, and Special Warfare Group.

III.ii.2.H.2.d. Echelon for the Naval Submarine Force

The following list shows the echelon for the Naval Submarine Force:

• submarine group, and
• submarine squadron (SUBRON 11)

III.ii.2.H.2.e. Ship Designations

Individual ships under the above echelons are identified as USS (name of ship) followed by an alpha-numerical hull number which

• distinguishes the ship from other ships with the same name that may have preceded or may have followed it, and
• identifies the type of ship.

Example: USS Independence CVA-62.

III.ii.2.H.2.f. Shore Establishment Organization

Shore establishments, such as non-moveable shore installations, were organized as bureaus (technical in nature) that, with the exception of personnel and medicine and surgery, became the Naval material command in 1963.

Other system type commands have followed this tradition.

3. Air Force Organizational Structure

Introduction

This topic contains information on the Air Force organizational structure, including

• Air Force echelons and appropriate designations
• availability of organizational records, and
• other organizational units that may have created records.

Change Date

December 13, 2005

III.ii.2.H.3.a. Air Force Echelon and Appropriate Designations

The table below lists the echelon of Air Force units and appropriate designations.

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III.ii.2.H.3.b. Availability of Organizational Records

Other organizational records may be available, such as

• medical records
• rosters
• morning reports
• courts martial, and
• academic records.

Notes:

• Some records may have a limited retention period.
• Academic records dated after 1967 may be obtained from another National Archives and Records Administration center, if still retained.
• Morning reports were discontinued in June 1966.

III.ii.2.H.3.c. Other Organizational Units That May Have Created Records

Records, including clinical and medical records, may exist for other organizations and units, such as

• agency center
• hospital
• office
• service, and
• academy.

4. Marine Corps Organizational Structure

Introduction

This topic contains information on the Marine Corps organizational structure, including

• Marine Corps echelons and appropriate designations
• division echelons, and
• availability of organizational records.

Change Date

January 5, 2017

III.ii.2.H.4.a. Marine Corps Echelons and Appropriate Designations

The table below lists the Marine Corps echelons and appropriate designations. For clarification, samples of unit designations are shown in italics.

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Notes:

• Expeditionary units replaced historically designated amphibious units.
• Logistics units replaced historically designated force service support units.

III.ii.2.H.4.b. Division Echelons

The table below lists the Marine Corps division echelons and appropriate designations.

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III.ii.2.H.4.c. Availability of Organizational Records

The organizational records listed below are available for the years shown.

• Muster rolls are available for the years 1801 through present.
• Indexes are available for the years 1897 through 1939.
• Unit diaries are available for the years 1949 through 1964.
• Bound diaries are available back to 1901.

Notes:

• Unit diaries have been microfilmed and are stored on the 5 th floor of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). These unit records may include
• command chronologies
• operational situation reports (sitreps), and
• operation after-action reports.
• Some individual reels may be unusable due to poor storage conditions.
• Marine Corps headquarters maintains duplicate copies of the unit diaries.
• Many Marine Corps unit records are stored on compact discs (CDs) and accessed via the Stressor Verification page.

Reference: For more information on accessing these records, see

• the Veterans Benefits Administration broadcast transcripts of
• December 17, 2003, “ Researching Marine Corps Records,” and
• May 18, 2004, “ C&P Military Records Research Information,” and
• M21-1, Part III, Subpart ii, 2.E.6.d.

5. Guide for Service Numbers 1 through 9,999,999

Introduction

This topic contains a guide to service numbers 1 through 9,999,999, including

• Army service numbers
• Navy service numbers
• Marine Corps service numbers, and
• Coast Guard service numbers.

Change Date

July 23, 2018

III.ii.2.H.5.a. Army Service Numbers

The table below lists the numbers used for Army enlisted personnel for the periods shown.

Notes:

• The Army originally assigned Air Force service numbers lower than 10,000,000.
• Omitted blocks of numbers were not assigned.

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III.ii.2.H.5.b. Navy Service Numbers

The table below lists the numbers used for Navy enlisted personnel for the periods shown.

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III.ii.2.H.5.c. Marine Corps Service Numbers

The table below lists the numbers used for Marine Corps enlisted personnel for the periods shown.

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III.ii.2.H.5.d. Coast Guard Service Numbers

The table below lists the numbers used for Coast Guard enlisted personnel for the periods shown.

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6. Guide for Service Numbers 10,000,000 through 19,999,999

Change Date

December 13, 2005

III.ii.2.H.6.a. Regular Army and Regular Air Force Enlisted Service Numbers

The table below lists the numbers used for regular Army and regular Air Force enlisted personnel for the periods shown.

Notes:

• Series 10,000,000 through 10,999,999 are used for initial enlistments occurring outside the continental limits.
• The Army originally assigned Air Force service numbers lower than 10,000,000.

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7. Guide for Service Numbers 20,000,000 and Higher

Change Date

December 13, 2005

III.ii.2.H.7.a. Service Numbers 20,000,000 and Higher

The table below lists the service numbers 20,000,000 and higher, the time periods in which they were issued, and the service categories to which they were issued.

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