Photo: Josh Hild

What does a dark blue beret mean?

Tan - Special Forces. Green - Royal Guard. Olive Green - National Guard. Maroon - Public Security Forces. Dark Blue - Coast Guard.

en.wikipedia.org - Military beret - Wikipedia

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Berets as part of a military uniform

A Ukrainian military cadet in a light blue beret.

Troops began wearing berets as a part of the headgear of military uniforms in some European countries during the 19th century; since the mid-20th century, they have become a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world. Military berets are usually pushed to the right to free the shoulder that bears the rifle on most soldiers, but the armies of some countries, mostly within Europe, South America, and Asia, have influenced the push to the left. In many countries, berets have become associated with elite units, who often wear berets in specific colours. For instance, the maroon beret is mostly traditional headgear for airborne forces around the world, with a few exceptions—for example, the Russian Airborne Troops, who wear a sky-blue beret, and the Portuguese Paratroopers who wear a green beret.

History [ edit ]

The use of beret-like headgear as a civilian headdress dates back hundreds of years, an early example being the Scottish Blue Bonnet, which became a de facto symbol of Scottish Jacobite forces in the 16th and 17th centuries. Berets themselves were first used as a military headdress in the 1830s during the First Carlist War in Spain, where they were said to have been imported from the South of France by Liberal forces, but were made famous by the opposing General Tomás de Zumalacárregui, who sported a white or red beret with a long tassel, which came to be an emblem of the Carlist cause.[1] chasseur alpin in World War I, with their distinctive large beret. A Frenchin World War I, with their distinctive large beret. The French Chasseurs alpins, created in the early 1880s, were the first regular unit to wear the military beret as a standard headgear.[2] These mountain troops were issued with a uniform which included several features which were innovative for the time, notably the large and floppy blue beret which they still retain.[3] This was so unfamiliar a fashion outside France that it had to be described in the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911 as "a soft cap or tam o'shanter".[4] Berets have features that make them attractive to the military; they are cheap, easy to make in large numbers, can be manufactured in a wide range of colors encouraging esprit de corps, can be rolled up and stuffed into a pocket or beneath the shirt epaulette without damage, and can be worn with headphones.[5] The beret was found particularly practical as a uniform for armored vehicle crews; the British Royal Tank Regiment adopted a black beret which would not show oil stains and was officially approved in 1924.[6] German Panzertruppen also adopted a black beret or Schutzmütze in 1934, which included a rubber skull cap as head protection inside.[7] British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment wearing their distinctive maroon berets in 1944. The wearing of berets of distinctive colors by elite special forces originated with the British Parachute Regiment, whose maroon beret was officially approved in July 1942,[8] followed by the Commando Forces whose green beret was approved in October of that year.[9] The United States Army Special Forces adopted a darker green beret in 1955, although it was not officially approved until 1961.[10]

By country [ edit ]

A [ edit ]

Afghanistan [ edit ]

Afghan Generals Honor Newly-Graduated Commandos

Most berets were used by senior enlisted personnel and officers.

Colour Wearer Forest Green Afghan Armed Forces Maroon Commandos Tan Special Forces Cerulean Afghan National Police

Algeria [ edit ]

Light green berets are used by para-commando units.

Angola [ edit ]

In the Angola Armed Forces, the following berets are in use:

Colour Wearer Green Páraquedistas (paratroopers) Brown Army general use Black Navy and Fuzileiros Navais (marines) Red Commandos Medium blue Air force

Argentina [ edit ]

Commando armed with Colt submachine gun

Berets are worn by some units in the Argentine Armed Forces,[11][12] with distinctive colors for some units or functions. The beret colours are as follows: Argentine Army Colour Wearer Dark Green Commandos Black Armor & mechanized infantry troops Scarlet Paratroops Claret 601 Air Assault Regiment Tan Mountain troops Dark Blue Army aviation Brown Amphibious engineers Olive green All other army units Argentine Air Force, Gendarmerie & others Colour Wearer Dark Blue Air Force Special Operations group Dark Green Gendermarie Orange Instituto Antártico Argentino UN blue United Nations operations

Armenia [ edit ]

Armenian Airborne Forces

The Armed Forces continue to wear Soviet-style (pieced fabric) berets, which are draped to the right in most circumstances. When appearing in public on parade, the berets are draped to the left side so that the insignia shows to observing dignitaries and the public.

Light blue - Airborne Forces, Peacekeeping Forces

Black - Police Troops

Wine red - Police Special Troops

Bright Green - Border Guards

Australia [ edit ]

In all service branches, the beret is "bashed" to the right and a badge or insignia is worn above the left eye. In the army, all units can wear them with certain units wearing unique ones.[13] In the navy, the beret is an optional item[14] and in the air force, it is only worn by certain units.[15]

Australian and US paratroopers exchange wings during Talisman Sabre 2011

Royal Australian Navy Colour Wearer Navy blue Optional for all naval personnel

Austria [ edit ]

Austrian green beret with silver coat of arms.

The Austrian coat of arms is worn on the left side of the beret (officers in gold, NCOs in silver, enlisted personnel as well as conscripts in dark grey). An exception are members of the special forces (Jagdkommando): after successfully completing the Basic Special Forces Course (Jagdkommandogrundkurs), they wear the Special Forces Badge (Jagdkommandoabzeichen) instead of the coat of arms on their berets. Colour Wearer Green Infantry, various other units Black Tank and armored infantry ( Panzergrenadier Scarlet Guards Battalion ( Gardebataillon Maroon 25th (Airborne) Infantry Battalion ( Jägerbataillon 25 ) Coral Military Police Auburn 1st and 2nd Command Support Battalion, Command Support School Pike grey CBRN Defense School, Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU) Dark blue Logistic Command, Army Logistics School Yellow-green Athletes and other members of Armed Forces Sports Centers Olive Special forces ( Jagdkommando Light blue Austrian military personnel serving in UN peacekeeping missions

Azerbaijan [ edit ]

Members of the Azerbaijani Special Forces during a military parade in Baku 2011

B [ edit ]

Bahrain [ edit ]

Black - Royal Bahraini Army and Royal Bahraini Naval Force

Blue - Royal Bahraini Air Force

Red - Military Police

Tan - Special Forces

Green - Royal Guard

Olive Green - National Guard

Maroon - Public Security Forces

Dark Blue - Coast Guard

Dark Green- Harasat

Bangladesh [ edit ]

Bangladesh Army Commandos

Belgium [ edit ]

A detachment of the 2nd/4th Regiment Mounted Rifles at the 2007 Bastille Day Military Parade Initially, the only unit of the Belgian military to wear berets were the Chasseurs Ardennais from the 1930s. Since World War II they have been adopted by all units. Berets vary in colour according to the regiment, and carry a badge (sometimes on a coloured shield-shaped patch) which is of gilt for officers, silver for non-commissioned officers and bronze for other ranks. Members of cavalry units all wear silver-coloured badges. Colour Wearer Black Armoured troops, guides (scouts), chasseurs à cheval and some engineer units Dark green Medical component Green 2 Commando, Paracommando Field Artillery and the Commando Training Centre Olive green (Large-brimmed, basque type with folded-in brim and wild boar's head badge ) — Chasseurs Ardennais Dark blue Artillery and Royal Military Academy Navy blue (No metal cap badge, but embroidered crest) — Navy component (Formerly also naval infantry with metal badge) Cobalt blue Logistics and administration troops Blue grey Air component Light blue Former Land component light aviation (now part of Air Component) Maroon Paracommando Immediate Reaction Cell (HQ), 1 Para, 3 Para, Special Forces Group, Parachute Training Centre Red Military police Brown Infantry, chasseurs à pieds and Belgian United Nations Command (during the Korean War) Khaki "General service" beret with lion badge worn on training by all troops (Obsolete) Grey Transmission troops and some engineer units UN blue Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

Benin [ edit ]

Colour Wearer Black Armoured corps Green Infantry and other Army units Dark Blue Gendarmerie Maroon Paratroopers

Bolivia [ edit ]

Berets in Bolivian Army:

Black — Paratroopers

Maroon — Armoured Corps

Green — Special Operations Forces, Commandos

Camouflage — Special Forces " Bolivian Condors "

" Tan — Mountain Infantry ( Satinadores de Montaña ) [17]

) Blue — Engineer units

Berets in Bolivian Air Force:

Royal Blue - Air Force Infantry personnel

Brazil [ edit ]

Defense minister visits the Army Command of Special Operations in Goiania

Colour Wearer Olive green All other Army units Brown Were used by Units of the COPESP (As of 2016 is being replaced by Wine Red Berets, For who is a Paratrooper, or Olive Green Berets and Black Caps) Black Used by Armored and Mechanized Cavalry/Infantry Brigades. Scarlet red Students of Colégio Militar (middle and high school). Grey Mountain Units, From the 4° Light Infantry Brigade Dark blue Students of Military Formation Schools (Cadets, Officer Candidates, NCO Candidates) Royal blue Army aviation, From the CAvEx. Wine red Paratroopers Camouflage Jungle troops (retired in 2012 and brought back in early 2017) Tan Air Assault Units (From the 12° Light Infantry Brigade) UN blue Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

Bulgaria [ edit ]

Berets have been worn by Bulgarian military personnel since 1991. Berets vary in colour according to the military branch, and carry a crest pin (sometimes on a coloured background patch) resembling the unit's insignia.

C [ edit ]

Cambodia [ edit ]

911st Para Comando on USS Essex

Dark red - 911 Special Forces Regiment

Royal Purple - Military Police

Cameroon [ edit ]

Bataillon des Troupes Aéroportées (Airborne Battalion) - dark red/maroon

(Airborne Battalion) - dark red/maroon Bataillon Spécial Amphibie (Special Amphibious Battalion) - Dark green (Special Amphibious Battalion) - Dark green Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide (Rapid Intervention Battalion) - light green (Rapid Intervention Battalion) - light green Fusiliers de l'Air (Air Force Infantry) - royal blue

(Air Force Infantry) - royal blue Fusiliers Marins (Marine Infantry) - black

(Marine Infantry) - black Garde Presidentielle (Presidential Guard) - royal purple

(Presidential Guard) - royal purple " All others army units - Navy Blue

" Gendarmerie (military Police) - Red

Canada [ edit ]

A Canadian jumpmaster with a maroon beret

The colour of the beret is determined by the wearer's environment, branch, or mission. The beret colours listed below are the current standard:

Chile [ edit ]

Special Operations Forces, Chile

Berets in Chilean Army:

Black — Special Operations Brigade "Lautaro" (Commandos, Paratroopers and Special Combatants)

Maroon — Armoured Cavalry

Green — Mountain troops

Olive green — Aviation Brigade

Berets in Chilean Navy:

Black — Combat Divers, combat crews and Maritime Boarding and Police operatives

Green — Marine special forces

Berets in Chilean Air Force:

Dark blue — Parachuting demonstration group Boinas Azules and Ground troops

and Ground troops Black — Special forces

China [ edit ]

Since May 5, 2000, the People's Liberation Army has adopted woolen berets for all its personnel,[19] along with the traditional peaked caps. Type 99 beret

Olive green — Ground Forces and Strategic Forces

Dark blue — Navy

Black - Marine corps

Blue-grey — Air Force (including Airborne troops)

Berets were not officially adopted by the CAPF, but some of the forces issued their own types NOT OFFICIAL:

Red—CAPF Provincial Women Special Police Corps

Dark blue—Public Security Police SWAT

During the 80s, camo berets were issued to some of the recon forces of PLA. It has no badge on it. Type 07 uniform is being issued to both PLA and CAPF on August 1, 2007. Colours of 07 berets are changed to the same colours with the service uniform. And several changes in designs were made from type 99 beret. The berets were not being issued until summer of 2009 to most of the troops. Other than colours of the berets, the most significant difference between type 99 and type 07 is the type 99 beret badge is cloth, while type 07 is plastic.

Colombia [ edit ]

Colombian army counter-narcotics brigade honors U.S. Special Forces 161207-A-KD443-030

Berets are worn by all personnel of the National Army of Colombia (Ejército), certain members of the Navy (Armada) and National Police (Policía Nacional), with distinctive colors for some units or functions. The beret colors are:

Croatia [ edit ]

In the Croatian Army berets are used in special forces and guard brigades, as well as in cadet battalion. During Croatian War of Independence, Croatian Army consisted of seven professional brigades—guard brigades, each having its beret colour. During the army reforms number of guard brigades was cut to two, but the battalions kept the names and insignia (colour of beret also) of ex brigades.

Joint staff:

Green with golden cap badge — Joint staff

Red — presidential guard on their battledress uniforms

Green (badge on the right) — Special Operations Battalion

Black — Military police

Guard brigades:

Armored Mechanized Guard Brigade Black — 1st Mechanized Battalion "Sokolovi" Brown — 2nd Mechanized Battalion "Pume" Black — Tank Battalion "Kune" Motorized Guard Brigade Black — 1st Mechanized Battalion "Tigrovi" Green — 2nd Mechanized Battalion "Gromovi" Black — 1st Motorized Battalion "Vukovi" Red — 2nd Motorized Battalion "Pauci" Black beret is also used in Cadet battalion. Also dark blue beret is used in Croatian Navy.[citation needed]

Cuba [ edit ]

In the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, the following berets are in use:

Czech Republic [ edit ]

The Armed Forces of the Czech Republic use berets for both battledress and display uniform. The colour of the beret is defined by the branch of the armed forces. The beret displays the state coat of arms with two swords crossed underneath and the badge of rank of the individual.[26] Colour Wearer Black Military Police Dark Green Reconnaissance troops Dark Blue Air Force Maroon 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade, 601st Special Forces Group Orange Military Rescue Service Grey Logistics Light Green Other ground forces (mechanised infantry, armour, artillery, NBC protection, Engineering Brigades, etc.)

D [ edit ]

Denmark [ edit ]

The Royal Danish Army first introduced the black berets for its armour personnel in 1958.[27] In 1968 it was extended to the whole army, Homeguard and parts of the Navy and Airforce, replacing the standard issue Side cap.[28]

E [ edit ]

Ecuador [ edit ]

Members of the Ecuadorian Army

Berets are worn by all personnel of the Ecuadorian Army (Ejército) and certain members of the Navy (Armada) and Air Force (Fuerza Aérea), with distinctive colours for some units or functions. The beret colours are: Colour Wearer Black Military Police; Naval Infantry (Infantería de Marina) Dark Green all other Army units; National Police GIR (Intervention & Rescue Unit) Dark Blue Army Aviation (Aviación del Ejército); Air Force Aerial Infantry (Infantería Aérea) Royal blue Air Force Security Police Red Paratroopers and Special Operations Forces Grey for use with the dress uniform (4-B) for those forces using the dark green beret Camouflage IWIA (indigenous tribal members unit) forces

Egypt [ edit ]

Maroon — Paratroopers

Forest green — Armour

Dark blue — Infantry

Dark blue with red band — Presidential Guard

Black — Artillery

Red — Military Police

Green — Engineers

Eritrea [ edit ]

All personnel of the EDF or Eritrean Defense Forces wear Berets.

Red — Air Force Units

Green — Army Units

Blue — Naval Units

Purple — Border Guard

Estonia [ edit ]

All personnel in the Estonian Military used to wear Berets in the beginning on 90's. In 2013, berets were reinstated.

Green — Ground Forces

Black — Armoured Corps, Naval Units

Slate — Air Force

Red — Military police

White - Military Bands Service when not in parade dress uniform

F [ edit ]

Finland [ edit ]

Utti JaegerRegiment, Flag Day Parade 2014

The Finnish Defence Force uses berets with cap badges for the Army, Navy and the Air Force. The berets are worn in "clean" garrison duties such as roll calls and with the walking-out uniform, but not with the battle dress. Until the mid-1990s, the beret was reserved for troops with special status, such as the armoured troops, coastal jägers and the airborne jägers, but is nowadays used by all units. In winter, berets are replaced by winter headgear. Berets are also used by the Finnish Border Guard, which is a military organization under the aegis of the Ministry of Interior during peacetime. Brown (Badge: golden bear's head, sword and fir tree twig) — Special Border Jägers Olive (Badge: golden bear's head, sword and fir tree twig) — Border Jägers

Olive (Badge: silver lion's head) — Army

Olive (Badge: golden lion's head with crown) — Finnish Rapid Deployment Force and Army units abroad (other than UN peace keepers) UN Blue (Badge: UN white and blue embroidered patch) — UN peace keepers

Black (Badge: silver Gothic helmet) — Armoured Brigade

Burgundy (Badge: arrow and parachute) — Airborne Jägers of the Utti Jäger Regiment

Royal Blue (Badge: silver griffin) — Army helicopter pilots

Royal Blue (Badge: silver Air Force insignia) — Air Force

Royal Blue (Badge: golden harp with sword) — Military bands

Navy Blue (Badge: silver anchor and golden lion) — Navy, including coastal troops, except for Coastal Jägers

Dark Green (Badge: gold sea eagle's head) — Coastal Jägers

France [ edit ]

Chasseurs Alpins's distinct wide beret s distinct wide beret

The military beret originated in the French Army, in the form of the wide and floppy headdress worn by the Chasseurs Alpins (mountain light infantry) from their foundation in the early 1880s.[30] The practical uses of the beret were soon recognised and the Marine Infantry forming part of the Expeditionary Force sent in China in 1900 used berets as headwear[31] A tight-fitting version was subsequently adopted by French armoured troops towards the end of World War I. Between the wars, special fortress units raised to garrison the Maginot Line wore khaki berets as did the 13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion when it was created in 1940. The Vichy Milice of the War period wore a blue beret. The beret in blue, red or green was a distinction respectively of the Metropolitan, Colonial and Legion paratrooper units during the Indochina and Algerian wars. In 1962 the beret in either light khaki or the colours specified above became the standard French Army headdress for ordinary use.[32] With the exception of the Commandos Marine and the Fusiliers Marins, whose berets are worn pulled to the right, all other French military berets (army, air force and Gendarmerie) are pulled to the left with the badge worn over the right eye or temple. Also the military forces of the countries that have historical, colonial, or cooperative ties with France – such as Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sénégal, Togo, Tunisia – or have been trained by the French military wear their beret pulled left. Gendarmerie personnel serving with the European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR) – an EU crisis response and intervention force – wear the standard EUROGENDFOR royal blue beret and badge when so assigned.

G [ edit ]

Gabon [ edit ]

Berets in Gabonese Army:

Dark red/ rouge — Paratroopers

— Paratroopers Light grey — Armoured troops

Green — Republican Guard

Green — Commandos Marine

Dark red — Army Medical Corps

Dark blue — other Army units

Germany [ edit ]

First Sergeant of the Panzerjäger with black beret 1989

The German Heer uses berets with different badges for every branch of service. The Luftwaffe and the Marine issue dark blue berets only to their ground or land combat units (called Luftwaffensicherungstruppe and Marineschutzkräfte) respectively. Berets are usually worn at special ceremonies and roll calls, although units with a special esprit de corps, especially armoured and mechanized infantry (Panzergrenadiere) battalions, wear their berets all the time. German berets are always pulled to the right, with the badge visible over the left temple. Colour Wearer Black Armoured units, including armoured reconnaissance Green Infantry units, including Jägertruppe (light infantry), Panzergrenadiere (armoured infantry), army ceremonial guards (Wachbataillon des Heeres) and the now disbanded Panzerjäger (armoured anti-tank). Note: The Panzerjäger started off with black berets but were moved into the Panzergrenadier branch. The last Panzerjägers wore green berets. Navy blue Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Marine (Navy) infantry and Combat Divers, ceremonial guards; Offizieranwärterbataillon (Officer Candidate Battalions of the Army), multinational units (e.g. Eurocorps) CYBER Technology Units (CIR) Cobalt blue Medical units Maroon Airborne units (or units with substantial airborne components), including paratroopers, army aviation, Airmobile Operations Division (DLO; Division Luftbewegliche Operationen), and Division Special Forces (DSK; Division Spezielle Kräfte), including the KSK (Kommando Spezialkräfte) Coral red Support units, including artillery, engineers, intelligence, psychological operations (Operative Information), anti-aircraft, supply, NBC protection, signals, electronic warfare, transport, topography, and military police (Feldjäger), 'Instandsetzung' Vehicle Maintenance UN Blue Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions Military bands wear the beret colour of their respective division (e.g. black in the 1st Panzerdivision).

Ghana [ edit ]

The beret colours worn by the Ghana Army are as follows:

Black — Armoured Corps, Artillery Corps

Dark Green — Airborne Force (ABF)

Red — Military Police

Dark Blue — All other Arms and Corps

Greece [ edit ]

The beret colours worn by the Hellenic Army are as follows:

Light blue — Presidential Guard

Black — Armoured Corps

Green — Special Forces (including Commandos, Marines and Parachute despatchers/riggers)

Dark red/maroon — Army Aviation

Bright red/scarlet — Airmobile troops

Dark Blue — All other Arms and Corps when in 8a, 8b and 8c Service Dress.

Red -71st Airmobile Brigade (PONDUS)

When in camouflage fatigues, the camouflaged cap is worn instead of the dark blue beret. The beret colours worn by the Hellenic Air Force are:

Blue-grey (same colours as RAF) — Air Force Underwater Operations Squadron

Dark red/Maroon — Air Force Special Operations Squadron

Guatemala [ edit ]

Kaibil special forces during training mission

Black - Parachute Brigade ( Brigada Paracaidista )

) Maroon - Kaibiles (Special Forces)

H [ edit ]

Hungary [ edit ]

History: the first beret-type cap (khaki colour, with black ribbon and "eagle" badge) was issued for Air Force enlisted personnel in 1930, but berets became popular in the 1970s, when reconnaissance troops (paratroopers) were issued with rifle green (or grass green) berets. Previously maroon beret was also experimented and even reversible (green to camo) "multi-purpose" berets were produced, but the standardization started on the 1975 military parade. In 1982 military secondary school students were issued with green berets too, while in 1987 River Force troopers received dark blue beret. After the collapse of the communism the beret as "mark of the elite trooper" received more and more popularity among soldiers. Light green (with border guard's badge) berets were issued for Border Guard reaction forces between 1990 and 2007. The berets of Hungarian forces were made first in "eastern-european style" (like worn by most Warsaw Pact armies), sewn together from 4 pieces. After 1993 "western style" one-piece berets were adopted.

Berets currently in Hungarian military:

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Black (with tank troops' badge) — Armoured Units

Black (with - battalion number - numbered oak leaf badge) — Territorial Voluntary Reserve Forces

Black (with anchor badge) — River Forces

Scarlet red (with MP badge) — Military Police

Scarlet red (with artillery or AA badge) — Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Artillery

Rifle green (with paratroops badge) — Paratroopers, Long-range recons, Field recons

Rifle green (with engineer's badge) — Engineers

Rifle green (with infantry badge) — Infantry (only in foreign missions)

Dark brown (with infantry badge) — Guard Battalion Special Team (only in the 2000s, discontinued) Tan (with special operation's badge) — 2nd "Vitéz Bertalan Árpád" Special Operations Brigade

Maroon (carmine red) (with LC badge) - Logistic Corps (issued in 2020)

Except these, mission-type berets were/are used in international peacekeeping missions (UN blue, EBECS yellow, MFO brick red etc.) worn. Beside the official versions different unofficial beret types, colours and badges are worn, for example Dark Blue berets by Signal Corps cadets etc.

I [ edit ]

Iceland [ edit ]

Icelandic armed services commonly use berets.

India [ edit ]

Indian Army Parachute Regiment

The beret is the standard headgear for the Various forces of Indian Armed Forces. Berets are worn by officers and Other ranks, apart from Sikhs, who wear turbans. The beret colours worn by the Indian Army are as follows:

Indonesia [ edit ]

An Indonesian Army soldier wearing a green beret with the Army insignia

The beret is the standard headgear of armed forces and police personnel in Indonesia. It is also worn by paramilitary and other uniformed services in the country such as the Fire Brigade, Search and Rescue, Scouts, civil militias (such as Banser) and civil paramilitary organizations. In the Military Services (Army, Navy and Air Force), the berets are dragged to the right (the insignia are worn on the left side), while in the Indonesian National Police force and Military Police Corps, the berets are dragged to the left (the insignia are worn on the right side). Both having its own meaning, dragged to the right meaning "ready for combat and defense" and dragged to the left meaning "ready for law enforcement and order". Military and Police services according to their beret colours which represent different units within the force are as shown below:

Iran [ edit ]

Commandos of 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade of Iran exercising

Dark Blue - Iranian Marines

Black - Iranian Army Airborne Forces, IRGC Commandos, and Police

Green - Iranian Army Special Forces (Rangers), Iranian Marines Special Forces, IRGC Special Forces

Tan - Iranian Army Commandos

Scarlet - Iranian Army Armored Crew personnel

Iraq [ edit ]

Iraqi Maroon Beret

The beret color system used for the different branches of the Iraqi military and security forces changed after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Beret colors currently (and formerly) worn by Iraqi forces are as follows:

Maroon — Army (formerly Special Republican Guards, Paratroops and/or Special Forces)

Khaki (olive green) — no longer used (formerly Logistics and Transport personnel)

Green — Special Forces (formerly Commandos and Thunder Paratroops)

Bright Red — Military Police

Black — Police (formerly Republican Guards and regular Army)

Blue — Air Force

Dark Blue - Iraqi Navy

Blue-Grey - no longer worn (formerly Iraqi Air Force)

Ireland [ edit ]

Irish Army berets in different colours.

Examples of the UN blue beret and Naval Service beret worn by Irish Defence Forces officers. All Army personnel wear a common capbadge, a sunburst insignia with the letters "FF" inscribed above the left eye of the beret. The Irish Defence Forces cap badge for Officers in the Army has a more subdued appearance. Air Corps and Naval Service personnel wear their own cap badge on berets.

The beret colours worn by the Irish Defence Forces are as follows:

The beret colours worn by the Reserve Defence Forces are as follows:

Colour Wearer Black Army Reserve - worn with red patch behind cap badge Red Reserve Military Police - worn with dark green patch behind cap badge Black Naval Service Reserve

Israel [ edit ]

Israel Defense Forces - Paratrooper Brigade welcomes newest members

Israeli Defense Forces soldiers wear berets only on formal occasions, such as ceremonies and roll calls, and in disciplinary situations such as courts martial and imprisonments. While they are not attending formal occasions, they must place the beret beneath the left epaulette. The Border Police, which are a unit of the civil police rather than the military IDF, wear their berets at most times. The beret colors are as follows:

Italy [ edit ]

Italian Carabinieri parachutists in a military parade

Italian Army personnel used to wear a garrison cap alongside the combination cap, until the early 1970s when the garrison cap was replaced by the beret. Until the early 1980s the general Army colour for the beret was drab khaki, the black being reserved to armoured units. The colours presently used by the Italian Army are as follows:

Maroon — Paratroopers, Folgore Airborne Brigade;

Light blue — Army Aviation, 66th Airmobile Infantry Regiment

Black — all other Army units (the Bersaglieri light infantry have royal blue beret strings, instead of black ones like the rest of the Italian Military) Green — The Lagunari Serenissima amphibious infantry Regiment received 'Lagoon green' berets in 2011 after service in Afghanistan

Green Asparagus — Army Incursori Special Operations Forces

The Italian Navy uses the following berets:

The Italian Air Force uses the following berets:

Teal blue — Air Force guards

Tan — Air Force Incursori (RIAM)

Other Italian services that use berets:

J [ edit ]

Japan [ edit ]

All members in the Ground Self-Defense Force are authorized to wear wool rifle green berets - referred to as the "ベレー帽" (ベレーボウ or bereebou) - as an optional head covering for dress, working and camouflage uniforms since 1992. However, it is normally considered a special dress item, worn for public relations events or parades. An embroidered goldwork cap badge representing the JGSDF logo identical to the one used on the service dress peaked cap is required by regulation to be affixed to the beret.

Jordan [ edit ]

The beret colours worn by the Jordanian Army are as follows:

Brown - Infantry

Maroon — Special Forces

Black — Armoured Corps

Green — Royal Guards

Dark Blue - Artillery

Sky-blue - Engineers

Red — Military police

Grey Blue - Air Force

Dark Blue - Navy

K [ edit ]

Kazakhstan [ edit ]

Light Blue - Paratroops

Maroon - National Guard - Internal security

Orange - Emergency Rescue Units

Navy Blue - Navy Units

Kenya [ edit ]

The beret colours worn by the Kenya Armed Forces are as follows:

Black — Armoured Corps

Green — Airborne Battalion

Red — Military police

Dark Blue - All other Arms and Corps including naval service

Blue Grey - Air Force

Kuwait [ edit ]

Green: Kuwait National Guard

Olive Green: National Guard Training Institute

Commando Green: 25th Commandos Brigade

Black: Army Ground Forces and Navy Forces

Police Black: Ministry of Interior and National Assembly Guard

Fire Black: Fire Force and Logistics Support

Dark Blue: General Fire Department ( Former )

) Red: Military Police

Maroon: Amiri Guard Authority

Commando Maroon: 67th Special Operations Battalion

Blue: Aviation

Air force Blue: Air Force

Light Blue: Fire Force Prevention Sector

Commando Blue: Special Forces

Khaki Tan: Military College

L [ edit ]

Latvia [ edit ]

The beret colours worn by the Latvian Army are as follows:

Olive-green — Special Tasks Unit

Red — Military police

Black - National Guard, Navy

Tan - Mechanized infantry brigade (army) from 18.11.2018

Blue - Air Force

Lebanon [ edit ]

All units, in the Lebanese Armed Forces wear berets when not in combat mode (Helmet), training camp (cap) or formal uniform (formal hat). The Lebanese Army, unlike most militaries, wears the beret slanted (pulled down) on the left side as the Army emblem is positioned to the right aligned with the right eyebrow.

Lithuania [ edit ]

Lithuanian, Portuguese and U.S. service members stand in formation during a ceremony commemorating the 605th anniversary of the Lithuanian Land Forces’ inauguration in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 15, 2015.

Maroon — National Defence Volunteer Forces

Scarlet — Military Police

Green — All other forces excluding the Air Force and the Navy

Grey — (SOP- Specialiųjų operacijų pajėgos) SOF- Special operations force

Black — Engineers

Dark Blue - Anti Aircraft forces

M [ edit ]

Malaysia [ edit ]

Malaysian Armed Forces General Tan Sri Haji Zulkifeli bin Mohd Zin with maroon beret during CARAT 2011 ceremony The beret is the headgear of ground forces, air aviations and special forces in the Malaysian Armed Forces. The colours presently used are: Royal Malaysian Navy Colour Wearer Dark Blue Regular and reserve force personnel Magenta PASKAL (Navy Special Forces) Royal Malaysian Air Force Colour Wearer Dark Blue Regular, reserve force and RMAF Provosts personnels Sky Blue PASKAU (Air Force Special Forces) Red Close Escort Team (VIP Protection)

Maldives [ edit ]

The beret colours worn by the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) are as follows:

Maroon — Special Forces

Red — Military Police

Green — Marines and other support units

Black — Parade Beret for Coast Guard

Mali [ edit ]

Malian security forces during a coup d'état in 2012. Foreground: a soldier of the National Guard. Right: A soldier of the Army (green béret). Second from the right: A police officer.

The beret colours worn by the Malian Armed Forces are as follows:

Red — Paratroopers.

Brown — National Guard.

Green — Infantry and other army units.

Dark blue — Air Force

Blue - Police

Mexico [ edit ]

In the Mexican Army, the beret is worn by:

Green - Special Forces

Maroon — Paratroopers (formerly purple, circa 1980s)

Black — Presidential Guards Corps

Steel Grey — Armor

Brown - Airmobile Units

In the Mexican Navy:

Black — Paratroopers, Navy Special Forces.

Armed Forces wide, the blue beret with the UN arms is used by peacekeeping forces beginning in 2015–16, when Mexico sent armed forces personnel to UN peacekeeping operations.

Mongolia [ edit ]

Mongolian army soldiers in dark green beret

In 2002, new army uniforms were introduced to the Mongolian armed forces and along with new uniform design, dark green berets were issued to all personnel. According to the rules, all military berets are pushed to the right and displays a "Soyombo" symbol in middle of golden oak leaves in the right side. Berets are worn by Mongolian Police since 1994. Police berets are different from the army beret in color and in shape, while it is pushed to the left while army berets are pushed to the right.

Dark green - All branches of Armed forces

Red - Internal troops.

Dark blue - National emergency troops (rescuers)

Black - Police unit (pushed to the left)

Light blue - UN peacekeepers (pushed to the right)

Morocco [ edit ]

The Moroccan military Uniform is inspired from the French Uniform, the berets are usually pulled to the left with the badge worn over the right eye or temple.

Lime Green - Armed Forces (Les Forces armees royales), including Paratroopers

Red - Royal Guard (La garde royale)

Blue - Royal Moroccan air force

Dark BLue - The Air Force and Security Forces

UN Blue - Moroccan-United Nations troops Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

Brown - Moroccan Auxiliary troops

Mozambique [ edit ]

Mozambique Marines practice tactical movements during exercise Cutlass Express 2017

Presently, the following berets are in use by the Defense Armed Forces of Mozambique:

Brown — Army general use

Red — Commandos

Olive Green - Forcas Especiais (Special Forces)

(Special Forces) Navy blue — Fuzileiros (Marines)

N [ edit ]

Namibia [ edit ]

Nepal [ edit ]

The Chief of Indian Army Staff, General Bikram Singh and the Nepalese Army Chief, General Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana witnessing the combined training exercise, in Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand on September 30, 2013

Netherlands [ edit ]

Veterans Day 2014, Netherlands

Colonel Jelte Groen, commander of the Korps Commandotroepen

When the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces acquired new modernised uniforms (designed by the Dutch couturier Frans Molenaar) in 2000, the berets changed as well. Since 2004, soldiers of the Royal Netherlands Army have worn a petrol (blue-green) beret, whereas previously they wore brown.

The following colours are also used (before and after the modernisation):

Navy:

Dark navy blue with a bronze metal crown & anchor on a red flash — Royal Netherlands Marine Corps Dark navy blue with a gold color metal anchor on a black flash — Royal Netherlands Navy Dark navy blue with a silver color metal anchor on a Blue flash — (Civilian base security for the Royal Netherlands Navy)

Army:

Green (The Green Beret) — Commandos of the Korps Commandotroepen

Maroon (The Red Beret) — Airmobile troops of the 11 Air Manoeuvre Brigade "11 Luchtmobiele Brigade" (Air Assault)

Black — Armour and Cavalry

Petrol (blue-green) — Royal Netherlands Army

Note: The only Dutch military unit that do not wear a beret are the Gele Rijders (Horse Artillery), who wear a blue garrison cap with yellow trimming.

Air Force:

Military Police:

Bright blue — with emblem Koninklijke Marechaussee (Royal Gendarmerie)

Other:

UN blue — All military members of the United Nations

Brick red — All military members of the Multinational Force and Observers

Dark blue — 1(GE/NL)Corps (Eerste Duits-Nederlandse Legerkorps)

All regiments and services have their own distinctive colours. There are quite a lot, but the number of colours in the logistic services was reduced in 2001. This colour is shown in a patch of cloth behind the beret flash. The intendance (maroon), transport troops (blue), military administration (pink; hence the nickname 'Pink Mafia'), technical service (black), and medical troops and service (green) lost their colours and all now wear yellow patches. In 2010, the technical service and medical troops and services recovered their colors. The intendance and transport troops merched into one regiment with new colours (maroon with blue border) and the administration got the crimson color. Infantry — Red, except: Grenadier Guards — Red with blue border Rifle Guards — Green with yellow border Fusilier Guards — Orange with blue border Regiment van Heutsz — Black with orange border Limburg Rifles Regiment — Green with maroon border

Korps Commandotroepen — Black with dark green border

Cavalry (Armour) — Blue with white, red or orange border

Cavalry (Reconnaissance) — Blue with black border

Artillery — Black with red border

Engineers — Brown

Signals — Blue with white border

Logistics — Yellow (obsolete since 2010)

Legal Affairs — Black with white border

Psychological and Sociological Service — Red

Protestant Chaplains — Black

Catholic Chaplains — Blue

Jewish Chaplains — Black

Humanist Society Chaplains — Bright green

Hindu Chaplains — Bright blue

Troops in Initial Training — Red

Royal Military Academy Cadets — Red with yellow border

Physical Training Instructors — Blue

Technical Staff — Maroon

New Zealand [ edit ]

Royal New Zealand Navy -

Dark blue [ citation needed ] - Military police

- Military police Dark blue/black[ citation needed ] - All other branches

New Zealand Army -

Pre 2002 beret colours -

Khaki - Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery

Green - Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment

Jet black - Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps

Royal blue - Royal New Zealand Military Police

Red - Regular Force Cadet School

Rifle green - Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals

Grey - Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps

Cypress green - New Zealand Intelligence Corps

Sand or 'ecru' [38] - New Zealand Special Air Service

- New Zealand Special Air Service Dark blue - All other corps

Post 2002 beret colours -

Sand or 'ecru' [38] - New Zealand Special Air Service

- New Zealand Special Air Service Dark blue - Royal New Zealand Military Police

Rifle green - All other corps

Royal New Zealand Air Force -

The RNZAF does not currently wear berets except for;

Dark blue - Military police

Nicaragua [ edit ]

The Nicaraguan Armed Forces wear berets in the following colours:

Berets in Nicaraguan Army:

Green — Special Forces (COE)

Black - Generals of Staff's Protection VIP

Berets in Nicaraguan Navy:

Dark Blue — Special Naval Forces

Nigeria [ edit ]

Dark Green — infantry soldier

light red. - Military Police

Dark red. - medical

Dark blue. - Artillery

black .- engineering

white. - provost

Norway [ edit ]

Norwegian soldiers from Telemark Battalion, Task Force Viking, march to their staging position for the Latvia Day Parade in Riga, Latvia, on November 18, 2014. The Norwegian armed forces use the beret as a garrison cap, but some units (mostly armored vehicle personnel) also use it in the field. The Norwegian beret and all other headwear except those of the Navy and His Majesty The King's Guard always have the current king's cipher as a badge in gold (most of the army) or silver (the air force); currently this is a numeral 5 inside an H, for "Harald V". The navy has a crowned gold anchor for their enlisted personnel, a crowned gold anchor surrounded by a circle of rope for their petty officers, and a crowned golden anchor surrounded by leaved branches for officers. The colours used are: The special operations units of the Navy wear the same berets as the rest of the navy. However they have a coloured patch behind the cap badge, the colour of which determines the unit:

Green — Marinejegerkommandoen

Blue — Minedykkerkommandoen

Maroon — Kystjegerkommandoen

Red - Military Police

O [ edit ]

Oman [ edit ]

The Royal Omani Armed Forces wears the beret as its standard headgear. Each color divisions are as follows:

HM the Sultan of Oman congratulating SSF personnel

P [ edit ]

Pakistan [ edit ]

Paraguay [ edit ]

The Paraguayan Armed Forces wear berets in the following colours:[39]

Berets in Paraguayan Army:

Green — Paratroopers

Dark Blue - Presidential Guard[40]

Berets in Paraguayan Navy:

Camouflage — Special Naval Forces

Berets in Paraguayan Air Force:

Red - Air Force Infantry and Airborne personnel

Panama [ edit ]

Berets were widely worn by many units in the Panama Defense Forces (PDF) under Manuel Noriega. The PDF was abolished in February 1990, and with it all of the old military units stood down. Unique beret insignia were never approved, so units authorized to wear berets wore a combination of the approved shoulder insignia, as well as rank and qualification insignia (e.g. parachutist wings) on the berets. The following were being worn at the time of the 1989 invasion: Black - 7th Infantry Company "Macho de Monte"; Comando Operacional de Fuerzas Expeciales (COFFEE - Special Forces Command) (COFFEE - Special Forces Command) Maroon - Battalion 2000; 2nd Airborne Infantry Company "Puma"; 3rd Infantry Company "Diablo Rojo"

Lime Green - 4th Infantry Company "Urraca"

Camouflage - 7th Infantry Company "Macho de Monte"; Comando Operacional de Fuerzas Expeciales (Cadre)

Philippines [ edit ]

Poland [ edit ]

Polish Military Police officers wearing scarlet red berets

Black berets were introduced before World War II for tank and armoured car crews. During World War II, berets were widely adopted in the Polish Army on the Western Front, armored troops - black, airborne - grey, commando - green. After the war in the communist era, berets were worn only by armoured units (black), navy for field and work uniform (black), paratroopers (maroon), and marines (light blue). After 1990, the beret became the standard headgear in the Armed Forces of Republic of Poland. Around the year 2000 the design of the Polish Army Beret changed, the beret sewn together from three pieces of material with four air holes, two at each side was changed to a smaller beret molded from one piece of material with no air holes. The following colours are in use:

Berets in other ministries:

Colour Wearer Black Border Guards Naval Units, Firefighters (for service dress) Light Green Border Guards (no longer in use, replaced by camouflage cap) Steel Grey Border Guards Air Units Sapphire Government Protection Bureau (no longer in use) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Troops (disbanded) Navy Blue Police anti-terrorist units (SPAP) The black beret is also the distinctive headgear of World War II veterans, particularly Armia Krajowa veterans. The dress code of the Polish armed forces states than when not worn on the head or kept in a locker the beret should be placed under the left shoulder loop. This practice was discontinued due to introducing new field uniform (wz. 2010) with rank insignia placed on chest.

Portugal [ edit ]

Portuguese Army badge, used in all Army berets when attached to a general army unit. The beret however remains the same colour of the original unit. The beret was first introduced in the Portuguese Armed Forces in 1956, when the Air Force Paratroopers adopted the green beret. The Portuguese Army adopted the brown beret for its Caçadores Especiais special forces in 1960, generalizing its wear to all units in 1962. The following colors of berets were or are still worn by the Portuguese Military and Paramilitary forces:

Army black beret

Army Special Operations Troops ( Rangers ) moss/dry green beret

Army Commandos red beret

Army Paratroopers green beret

Navy Marines dark blue beret

Air Force Police light blue beret

R [ edit ]

Rhodesia [ edit ]

Zimbabwe-Rhodesia made changes to the army in 1979 and shortly after Zimbabwe disbanded all the regiments Rhodesian Security Forces in favour of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in 1979–1981. Up to this point the Security Forces wore the beret as the primary working dress and service dress headgear. Like most countries formerly associated with the British Empire, Berets were coloured according to unit or service branch, with a distinctive regimental cap badge pinned above the left eye. The Rhodesian Security Forces were integrated into the new Zimbabwe Defence Forces in 1980. Rhodesia introduced the brown beret as a new colour for specialist berets, for use of the Selous Scouts, which has since been used for specialist units in the Finnish and Brazilian forces, and with the New Zealand SAS

Rhodesian beret colours were as follows:

The blue, yellow and red shield on the medical corps beret.

The blue diamond flash on the military police beret

The red outline of the Rhodesian Artillery beret

The red tombstone of the Grey Scouts beret

The red diamond hacking of the Rhodesian Regiment beret (similar to that of the KRRC)

The Blue and Red hackle of the 4th Battalion Rhodesian Regiment Beret.

Romania [ edit ]

Romanian special forces soldiers send commands to the a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during a Raven UAV familiarization flight at the Romanian Land Forces facility in Buzau, Romania, June 2, 2011 Colour Wearer Black Anti-air Artillery and Missiles, Artillery, Military Automobile Troops (automobilişti militari), Tanks, Communication and Informatics structures, Engineers, Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) Defense and Naval Forces Green Mountain Troops (or Mountain Hunters, Vânători de Munte), Special Operations Forces Dark Blue Military Justice, Romanian Gendarmerie (Jandarmeria Română) Maroon Paratroopers Red Military Music Dark red (bordeaux red) Military Medicine Violet Military Logistics, or administration (intendenţă) Light Grey Military Police Light Blue Air Force and Radar Troops (radiolocaţie) Dark brown Infantry

Russia [ edit ]

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Russian Naval Infantry with their three-piece berets pulled left for a pass-in-review during the 2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade The Soviet Union's beret color scheme detailed below (e.g. for airborne troops and naval infantry) remained in effect in post-1991 Russia. In the late 1990s the Russian Ministry of Extreme Situations introduced orange berets for its own troops. In the Soviet Union berets were sewn together from three pieces of material with four air holes, two at each side, worn with the service badge centered between the eyes and draped to the right in most circumstances. When appearing in public on parade, the berets were draped to the left side so that the insignia shows to observing dignitaries and the public. In 2011 the Russian defence ministry authorised the wearing of berets by all non-naval military personnel as part of their field uniforms.

The current beret colour scheme is:

S [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia [ edit ]

Saudi military police

Senegal [ edit ]

Tan/sand - Bataillon de Parachutistes (Army Parachute Battalion)

(Army Parachute Battalion) Brown - Bataillon de Commandos (Army Commando Battalion)

(Army Commando Battalion) Black - Detachment Forces Speciales (Special Forces Detachment)

(Special Forces Detachment) Orange - Groupement Mobil d'Intervention (Mobile Intervention Group)

(Mobile Intervention Group) Blue - Legion de Gendarmerie d'Intervention (Gendarmerie Intervention Unit)

(Gendarmerie Intervention Unit) Green - Compagnie Fusilier de Marine Comandos (COFUMACO)(Navy Marine Commandos)

Serbia [ edit ]

Paratroopers from the 63rd Parachute Brigade wearing red berets.

The Serbian Armed Forces are wearing berets as their standard headdress.

Singapore [ edit ]

The Singapore Armed Forces and Singapore Police Force have adopted the beret as their standard headdress. The different color divisions are as follows: The berets are all adorned with the Singapore Armed Forces coat of arms, with the exception of the Air Force beret, Military Police beret, navy beret and police beret which are adorned with their respective cap-badge. Officers in the navy have a different cap-badge from the ratings. Officers of the rank of colonel and above have a different cap-badge. An officer from Public Transport Security Command, wearing the Light Grey beret, surveys the high volume of foot traffic at City Hall MRT station

National Cadet Corps (Land)- Green

National Cadet Corps (Air)- Blue

National Cadet Corps (Sea)- Black

National Police Cadet Corps- Dark Blue

National Civil Defence Cadet Corps- Black

All berets have the National Cadet Corps, National Police Cadet Corps or National Civil Defence Cadet Corps crest on the front.

Slovakia [ edit ]

Colour Wearer Black tank forces, army air defense Green units of high readiness, immediately reaction battalion Dark Blue military police Maroon paratrooper units,5.regiment of special assignment(airborne) UN Blue Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

Slovenia [ edit ]

Rifle Green - Special forces

Green — Military Police

Olive green - Signal units

Black - Armour units

Maroon - motorised infantry/Paratroopers

Dark blue — Navy units

Light blue — Air force

Grey - Mountain units

Sand - NBC units

Red - Guard unit

Somalia [ edit ]

Brigadier General Odowaa Yusuf Rageh wearing the Khaki Infantry Beret and rank slide The Somali Armed Forces has the beret has the standard headgear since its inception in 1960. Each function within the security forces of Somalia has a unique colour.

South Africa [ edit ]

The South African National Defence Force wears the beret as its standard headgear. The different color divisions are as follows: The berets are all adorned with the unit's insignia. Some of the traditional units wear other headgear - for example, the Cape Town Highlanders Regiment and the band of the South African Military Health Service. Outside of Army, the South African Military Health Service wear light maroon berets. The South African Special Forces Brigade which is a separate entity, not part of the army, also wear the Maroon beret which is traditional for parachute units in the western world.

South Korea [ edit ]

Berets are worn by members of the Republic of Korea Army and some elite units of the South Korean Military, including: Other than these units, several secret commando units (mostly disbanded in the mid-1990s, among them the "Unit 684" which became infamous for its mutiny) formed to infiltrate North Korea during the Cold War days wore black berets and adorned them with the badges of individual units. Korean liaison soldiers serving in the U.S. Eighth Army (KATUSA) have also been wearing black berets along with American uniforms since that beret became a standard headgear of the U.S. Army in 2001.

South Vietnam [ edit ]

American advisers assigned to these units wore the berets.[42]

Red — Paratroopers

Green — Marines, LLDB

Maroon — Rangers

Black — Navy Junk Force

Black — Palace guards

Tan — political officers

Soviet Union [ edit ]

In the Soviet Union berets were sewn together from three pieces of material with four air holes, two at each side, worn with the service badge centered between the eyes and draped to the right in most circumstances. When appearing in public on parade, the berets were draped to the left side so that the insignia shows to observing dignitaries and the public. Berets were worn only by: Colour Wearer Black Naval infantry, tank troops (only for coveralls), OMON special militia units Raspberry Airborne troops (till 1969, unofficially from 1963 with jump uniform only) Sky blue Airborne troops (since 1969) Green 103rd Airborne Division (while subordinate to Border Guards in 1989–91) Rust red (orig. Krapovyi ) MVD special troops (from end of the 1980s) Blue Navy (WMF) - as a part of working and technical uniform for enlisted and petty officers (officially matrosy i starshiny in Russian) During this period berets were also worn by female personnel of the Armed Forces for everyday and parade uniform. The colour of the beret corresponded with that of the main uniform (e.g. Army and Air Force everyday uniform - olive, Navy uniform - navy blue or white, Army parade uniform - sea green, Air Force parade uniform - dark blue).

Spain [ edit ]

Spain's Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon (in blue beret of the Royal Guard) speaks with a Spanish engineer soldier about the capabilities of a bomb disposal robot during a visit to Spain's San Gregorio training area to meet with participants in exercise Interdict 12, Oct. 30. The beret is used in the various armed forces of Spain. The colours used are:[43] Colour Wearer Black Airborne Brigade (BRIPAC), Mechanized Division "Brunete", Air Force Police. Maroon 1st King's Immemorial Infantry Regiment of AHQ. Royal Blue Royal Guard, Army Helicopters (FAMET). Ash Grey Cyber Defence Joint Command.[44] Mustard Military Emergencies Unit (UME). Red General Military Academy Green Mountain Brigade (Jefatura de Tropas de Montaña). Dark Green Special Operations units (MCOE, MOE, UOE, FNGE, EZAPAC). Olive Spanish Army general issue berets. Brown Military Police. Tan BRILCAN (Brigada de Infantería Ligera Canarias XVI). Grey BRILAT (Brigada de Infantería Ligera Galicia VII).

Sri Lanka [ edit ]

Maroon — Army Commando Regiment

Black — Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, Army Special Forces Regiment, Navy Special Boat Squadron, Air Force Regiment Special Force Commando Green - , Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment, Mechanized Infantry Regiment, Military Intelligence Corps, Sri Lanka Army Women Corps, Sri Lanka Rifle Corps, Special Task Force

Green - Gajaba Regiment (Infantry)

Blue - Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, The Gemunu Watch (Infantry) & All Other Ranks of Artillery, Engineers, Signals, Light Infantry & all Service Corps Khaki - All Officers of Sri Lanka Artillery, Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Light Infantry, Service Corps, Corps Engineer Services, General Service Corps, Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Sri Lanka National Guard, Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps

Red - Military Police

Dark Blue - Sri Lanka Air Force

Sweden [ edit ]

Swedish Amphibious Corps soldier with green beret

The beret is used in the various armed forces of Sweden.

Sudan [ edit ]

The beret is worn by all police and military personnel.

Maroon - Paratroops

Switzerland [ edit ]

Since 1995, when it replaced the grey side cap, the beret is worn with the dress uniform and with the personally issued battle dress uniform by all Swiss soldiers. In training, a black beret (without insignia) is worn by mechanised units, otherwise a camouflage-coloured field cap is worn instead.

The colours used are:[47]

Black — armoured and mechanised units; signals and headquarters troops; NBC specialists; intelligence, military justice and general staff personnel

Green — infantry, musicians

Red — artillery

Deep blue — Air Force

Blue — medical personnel

Dark red — logistics troops

Grey — military police

Light blue — troops on UN missions

Tan (Sand) - Special Operation Forces

T [ edit ]

Thailand [ edit ]

The beret is used in the various armed forces of Thailand. The colours used are:

Maroon — Airborne units, 1st Special Warfare Division, 31st Ranger Regiment

Khaki green — Army Reserve Force Students

Black — all other Army units, Air Force, Thahan Phran(Army Paramilitary), Airborne Police units, Border Patrol Police (BPP)

Camouflage — Royal Thai Marine Recon, Marine Paramilitary and Navy SEALs

Scarlet - Speciel Operation of Royal Thai Air Force (Commando)

UN Blue - Personnel serving with the United Nations on peacekeeping missions

The black beret is also worn by ordinary police in certain situations.

Togo [ edit ]

The beret colours worn by the Togolese Army are as follows:

Black — Armoured Corps.

Maroon — Para-Commando Regiment.

Green — Presidential Guard Commando Regiment.

Dark Blue - All other Arms and Corps

Turkey [ edit ]

The beret is used in the various armed forces of Turkey. The colours used are:[41]

U [ edit ]

Ukraine [ edit ]

Ukrainian paratrooper wearing maroon beret

Ukrainian naval infantryman in black beret

The beret is used in the various armed forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian armed forces formerly wore a Soviet style beret sewn together from three pieces of material with four air holes, two at each side. This was changed to a smaller beret moulded from one piece of material with no air holes. The colours are:

United Arab Emirates [ edit ]

The Armed Forces of the UAE and National Service use berets with distinct colours to display the specific branch of the armed forces. All berets displays the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces emblem.[49] Emirati military personnel may also choose to wear military camo coloured ghutra in a turban fashion in keeping with traditional Arabic attire.

The colours are as follows:

United Kingdom [ edit ]

The British Army beret dates back to 1918 when the French 70th Chasseurs alpins were training with the British Tank Corps. The Chasseurs alpins wore a distinctive large beret and Major-General Sir Hugh Elles, the TC's Colonel, realised this style of headdress would be a practical option for his tank crews, forced to work in a reduced space. He thought, however, that the Chasseur beret was "too sloppy" and the Basque-style beret of the French tank crews was "too skimpy", so a compromise based on the Scottish tam o'shanter was designed and submitted for the approval of George V in November 1923. It was adopted in March 1924. During the Second World War, the use of the black beret was extended to all the regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1940. The maroon beret was adopted by British airborne forces in 1941 and the green beret by the Commandos in late 1942. A khaki beret was worn by the Reconnaissance Corps from 1941 until 1944,[50] and the Royal Air Force Regiment adopted a blue-grey beret in 1943.[51] Later in the war, a rather baggier beret-like hat, called the General Service Cap, was issued to all ranks of the British Army (with RAC, parachute, commando, Scottish and Irish units excepted), to replace the earlier Field Service Cap. The GS Cap was not popular, and after the war was replaced with a true beret.[52] Today, English and Welsh military units wear a beret (the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Royal Irish Regiment and London Irish, wear the tam o'shanter and the caubeen respectively, the Scots Guards and Irish Guards, however, wear berets). Many of these berets are in distinctive colours and all are worn with the cap badge of the service, regiment or corps. The cap badge for all services in the UK is usually worn directly over the left eye.

Royal Military Police, 1984

A soldier of the Parachute Regiment wearing the maroon beret.

The pale "Cambridge blue" berets of the Army Air Corps in London, 2006.

Royal Marines Officers wearing the green Commando beret.

An officer of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (on the right), showing the coloured backing patch behind the regimental cap badge.

Beret colours [ edit ]

The colours are as follows:

General rule for wearing a British Army berets taught at training depots is to shape the head dress back and to the right for the material and to have the leather band level around the head with the cap badge two fingers above the left eye. Scottish Infantry have different rules for the Tamo'shanter with the cap badge worn on the left side of the head.

Other adornments [ edit ]

Some regiments and corps wear a coloured backing behind the cap badge. These include: Members of the Royal Tank Regiment, 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery Royal Artillery,[59] Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Army Air Corps, Parachute Regiment, SAS and Intelligence Corps wear berets in Nos 1, 2, 3 and 6, Dress. Other English and Welsh Regiments and Corps wear peaked caps in these orders of dress.[60] Troops from other services, regiments or corps on attachment to units with distinctive coloured berets often wear those berets (with their own cap badge). Colonels, brigadiers and generals usually continue to wear the beret of the regiment or corps to which they used to belong with the cap badge distinctive to their rank.

Old units [ edit ]

Former regiments and corps, now amalgamated:

United States [ edit ]

Army Special Forces soldiers wearing green berets at remembrance ceremony Army soldiers from the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade wearing brown berets at activation ceremony An Air Force Special Tactics Officer and TACP NCO wearing their scarlet and black berets, respectively An Air Force Security Forces airman wearing dark-blue beret on guard Then CMSgt Ramón Colón-López wearing maroon beret An Air Force SOWT—redesignated Special Reconnaissance—wearing grey beret Berets were originally worn by select forces in the United States Army. The first were worn during World War II, when a battalion of the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment were presented maroon berets by their British counterparts.[61] Though unofficial at first, the green beret of the US Army Special Forces was formally adopted in 1961. Maroon airborne and black US Army Ranger berets were formally authorized in the 1970s.

"D" Troop 17th Cavalry were authorized a maroon beret in Vietnam.[62]

After the Vietnam War, morale in the US Army waned. In response, from 1973 through 1979 HQDA permitted local commanders to encourage morale-enhancing uniform distinctions, however these distinctions were only allowed to be worn on the post. Consequently, many units embraced various colored berets, for example Armor and Armored Cavalry units often adopted the black beret. Similarly many other units embraced various colored berets in an attempt to improve dwindling morale. In particular, the First Cavalry Division assigned various colored berets to its three pronged TRICAP approach. In this implementation, Armored Cavalry, Airmobile Infantry units, Air Cavalry units, Division Artillery units, and Division Support units all wore different colored berets, including black, light blue, kelly green, and red. The 101st Airborne Division was authorised a dark blue beret. In 1975 all female soldiers of the Women's Army Corps were authorized to wear a black beret variant as standard headgear for the service uniform.[63] In 1975 the 172nd Light Infantry Brigade at Fort Richardson & Fort Wainwright, Alaska wore Olive Drab Berets. In 2001, Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki ordered the black beret worn as standard headgear army-wide, a controversial decision because it was previously reserved for the Rangers. The Rangers were then authorized to wear a tan beret, exclusive to them. The decision was implemented in hopes of boosting morale among conventional units. However, many soldiers began complaining that the new black beret was not practical with the utility uniform. In June 2011, Army Secretary John McHugh, acting on the recommendations made by Chief of Staff Martin Dempsey and Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler, once again chose the traditional patrol cap to be worn with the utility uniform. The black beret may be authorized with utility uniforms at commander's discretion for special ceremonies. The beret remains part of the Army's dress uniform for all units.

United States Army berets now use the following distinctive colors:

Special Forces, Ranger, and Airborne unit berets sport distinctive organizational flashes. All other units use a standard pale blue flash bordered with 13 white stars. Officers wear their rank insignia within the flash, while enlisted ranks wear their distinctive unit insignia. In the United States Navy, female officers and sailors were allowed to wear black berets instead of a combination hat or garrison cap while in service uniforms until 2016. The black berets were phased out in October of that year due to a lack of widespread use and a desire by the U.S. Navy to make its uniforms more unisex in appearance. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy created special boat teams, unofficially dubbed the brown-water navy, to patrol coastlines, estuaries and rivers. Naval personnel assigned to these teams wore black berets as part of their uniform, as portrayed in the movie Apocalypse Now.[69] U.S. Navy SEAL teams serving in Vietnam wore camouflage berets in the field, the only beret somewhat standardized in the SEALs.

Uruguay [ edit ]

Military Grey - Army 14th Parachute Battalion Green - Army 13th Armor Battalion (Combined Arms)

Police Black - Police Coraceros Regiment

V [ edit ]

Vatican State [ edit ]

The Pontifical Swiss Guard wears large black berets.

Venezuela [ edit ]

Berets are worn by some units in the Venezuelan National Armed Forces, with distinctive colors for some units or functions. The beret colours are as follows: Note: Before the conversion to the red berets, the Caracas Battalion wore dark blue berets similar to those used by the O'Leary Battalion.

Note: Bolivarian National Police general issue red berets (since 2017).

Vietnam [ edit ]

Berets used by the Vietnam Coast Guard and the Vietnam People's Navy are:

Blue - Enlisted Seamen

Black - Officers and NCOs

Dark Blue - Marine Commandos and Naval Infantrymen

During the celebration of the 40th Reunification Day, the People's Army of Vietnam presented new models of berets: Green and camouflaged berets are worn by Infantry Reconnaissance troopers and Ground Commandos respectively.

Red berets are worn by Airborne Forces.

Army's servicemen served within the United Nations will bear the UN blue beret.

Y [ edit ]

Yemen [ edit ]

Berets are worn as standard headgear in the Yemeni Armed Forces, with most beret colors inherited from the South Yemeni armed forces.

Z [ edit ]

Zambia [ edit ]

Black - Armoured troops

Green – Zambia rifles (Infantry)

Maroon - Paracommando

Scarlet - Military police

Dark Blue - worn by all other Army units

Khaki - colonels and general officers with combat uniform

Grey-blue - Air Force personnel

Khaki-Black – Zambia National Service personnel

Zimbabwe [ edit ]

Green — Infantry

Black — Armoured Regiment

Maroon — Parachute Battalion

Tartan Green - Commando Battalion

Tan - Special Air Service

Yellow — Presidential Guard

Cherry Red — Military Police

Blue-grey — Zimbabwe Air Force

Dark Blue — All other units

International forces [ edit ]

United Nations [ edit ]

UN blue beret.

Colour Wearer UN Blue Military personnel of any country serving with the United Nations peacekeeping forces.

Multinational Force and Observers [ edit ]

A Canadian Army officer and U.S. Army soldier wearing the MFO beret

Colour Wearer Terracotta Military personnel of any country serving with the Multinational Force and Observers wear a terracotta-colored beret or bush hat in lieu of their normal headgear.

African Union [ edit ]

Officers wearing the African Union beret.

Colour Wearer Green Military personnel of any country serving with the African Union peacekeeping forces wore a green-colored beret.[73] The AU peacekeeping forces have since been turned over to UN administration and swapped their berets for UN light blue ones.[74][75]

Camouflage berets [ edit ]

A U.S. Navy SEAL in Vietnam with a camouflage beret

A camouflage beret is intended for use on the battlefield when wearing combat fatigues. They are mostly issued to the likes of special forces, particularly in jungle warfare operations.

History [ edit ]

Camouflage berets possibly originate from the General Service cap "Cap, General Service" issued to the British Army in a Khaki material before the introduction of berets. It was first introduced under "Army Council Instruction 1407" of September 1943. This cap was designed to replace the "Field Service cap" or "FS Cap" that had been worn since the outbreak of war. These caps were issued in priority to units serving overseas. UK based units got theirs later on. It was at first unpopular due to its over large appearance. This cap was not a beret. It was made from several pieces of drab cloth material, whereas a beret was a one piece item. It was based on the Scottish balmoral bonnet in design. First issues were made from the same gaberdine cloth as the old "FS" cap. Badges worn on it were the conventional officers' bronze, and ORs' badges in both plastic and metal. Units which had special distinctions could still wear these on the "GS" cap. The General Service cap was worn by regulation one inch above the eyebrows, with the badge over the left eye and the cap pulled down to the right. But many wartime photos will show it worn pushed back on the head, which seemed to be a fashion with many soldiers late in the war. Officers could only obtain the cap upon repayment to the RAOC. They were not allowed to buy the cap until their unit had been issued with it wholesale. Higher ranking officers often got away with wearing a khaki beret, which was against regulations. Fashion conscious ORs would also risk punishment from NCOs/officers buying one of these for "walking out". Not exactly camouflage, but an early example is the Jungle Beret issued to the Australian Army during WW2.[76][77][78]

Users [ edit ]

Military berets by color:

en.wikipedia.org - Military beret - Wikipedia

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