Key:military_service
 military_service
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| Description |
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To indicate which branch of the military services operate a base or other military feature. 
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| Group: military |
| Used on these elements |
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| Documented values: 5 |
| Useful combination |
Status: approved
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| Tools for this tag |
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 | Caution: mapping military installations is welcomed in OpenStreetMap, but may be prohibited by local law. Before mapping potentially sensitive sites such as these, please be aware of Section I b of the OSMF Terms of Use: "You are responsible for your own actions [...] OSMF generally cannot offer any protection, guarantee, immunity or indemnification." |
The key military_service=* may be used to indicate which particular branch of service, e.g. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Joint Forces etc., controls, or operates from, a base or other military facility. It is added to a primary feature tag such as landuse=military.
The same tagging should be used regardless of whether the facility is for Regular, full-time forces, or part-time, volunteer Reserve forces. Where multiple services use the same facility, and the name of the facility does not make clear which service runs it, the tag should be designated to the largest service using that facility, for example an Air Force base that also houses a small Army detachment would be shown as military_service=air_force.
This tag may also be used for facilities operated by armed Coast Guards, i.e. the military / para-military force intended for protection of a country's coastal waters against enemy military forces, as well as civil threats such as smugglers, terrorists etc.
It also applies to stand-alone military buildings such as recruitment offices.
How to map
Create an area around the grounds or a node at the centre and add military_service=* to a feature which is tagged with landuse=military or another appropriate primary feature tag.
Values
This suggested values below are not exhaustive and may not apply to all countries. The service must be a service in its own right and not a branch or subdivision of another service (such as the United States National Guard).
| Type | Tag | Role | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air force | military_service=air_force | A country's military force that primarily conducts aerial warfare [1]. | approved | |
| Army | military_service=army | A country's land-based military force [2]. | approved | |
| Border guard | military_service=border_guard | A military force which guards a country's (land) borders | Only when militarised (such as the Armenian Border Guard). Do not use for civilian border control. Guarding the border can also be a task of a gendarmerie, instead of a separate service. | in use |
| Coast guard | military_service=coast_guard | A military force which defends a country's maritime security. | Only use when coast guards are classed as part of the military. Do not use when they only perform enforcement (e.g. police) or search and rescue duties. | approved |
| Cyber force | military_service=cyber | A military force which conducts cyberwarfare and cybersecurity operations. | Only use when it represents a distinct branch (e.g. in countries such as Norway and Germany), rather than a subdivision of another branch. | in use |
| Gendarmerie | military_service=gendarmerie | A military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. | Most common in Europe (e.g. French National Gendarmerie, Italian Carabinieri, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee) - the concept originates from France. Do not use for civilian law enforcement. | in use |
| Marines | military_service=marines | A naval land force that provides support for naval warfare. | Tagged when operated as a separate service. This tag may also be used if the marines are part of a country's Navy but have large operational autonomy, such as their own bases and command structure (e.g. Royal Marines). | approved |
| Navy | military_service=navy | A military force which conducts naval warfare. | approved | |
| Space force | military_service=space_force | A military force which conducts space warfare. | Do not use for civilian space agencies (e.g. NASA). | in use |
| Joint Forces | military_service=army;air_force | When multiple services (e.g. Army and Air-Force) make equal use of the same facility the values can be separated by a semi-colon | E.g. Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam on Wikipedia | in use |