diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/server/security/ResourceType.java b/server/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/server/security/ResourceType.java
index d8f20479180..05f387851f5 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/server/security/ResourceType.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/server/security/ResourceType.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ public class ResourceType
   public static final String STATE = "STATE";
   public static final String SYSTEM_TABLE = "SYSTEM_TABLE";
   public static final String QUERY_CONTEXT = "QUERY_CONTEXT";
+  public static final String EXTERNAL = "EXTERNAL";
 
   private static final Set<String> KNOWN_TYPES = Sets.newConcurrentHashSet();
 
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ public class ResourceType
     registerResourceType(STATE);
     registerResourceType(SYSTEM_TABLE);
     registerResourceType(QUERY_CONTEXT);
+    registerResourceType(EXTERNAL);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/sql/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/sql/calcite/external/ExternalOperatorConversion.java b/sql/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/sql/calcite/external/ExternalOperatorConversion.java
index db3f6bd8c37..3cde403f717 100644
--- a/sql/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/sql/calcite/external/ExternalOperatorConversion.java
+++ b/sql/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/sql/calcite/external/ExternalOperatorConversion.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import org.apache.druid.segment.column.RowSignature;
 import org.apache.druid.server.security.Action;
 import org.apache.druid.server.security.Resource;
 import org.apache.druid.server.security.ResourceAction;
+import org.apache.druid.server.security.ResourceType;
 import org.apache.druid.sql.calcite.expression.AuthorizableOperator;
 import org.apache.druid.sql.calcite.expression.DruidExpression;
 import org.apache.druid.sql.calcite.expression.SqlOperatorConversion;
@@ -55,11 +56,9 @@ public class ExternalOperatorConversion implements SqlOperatorConversion
 {
   public static final String FUNCTION_NAME = "EXTERN";
 
-  // EXTERNAL is not an "official" resource type (it doesn't appear as a constant in the ResourceType class).
-  // It is here so we can write tests that check that authorization works as expected, like CalciteInsertDmlTest.
-  // This should be rethought before the functionality is exposed to end users.
+  // Resource that allows reading external data via SQL.
   public static final ResourceAction EXTERNAL_RESOURCE_ACTION =
-      new ResourceAction(new Resource("EXTERNAL", "EXTERNAL"), Action.READ);
+      new ResourceAction(new Resource("EXTERNAL", ResourceType.EXTERNAL), Action.READ);
 
   private static final RelDataTypeFactory TYPE_FACTORY = new SqlTypeFactoryImpl(DruidTypeSystem.INSTANCE);