A Ukrainian military cadet in a light blue beret, formerly for Ukrainian VDV.
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 (i.e. "French pull").
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]
A French chasseur alpin in World War I, with his 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]
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:
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.
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
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.
Artillery, Signals, Army Education corps, Electrical and mechanical Engineers, Ordnance, Army Dental corps, RVFC, Naval Service and all officers from and above the rank of colonel, Bangladesh Police
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)
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.
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.
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:
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
Tank troops (tanquistas) wear black berets (including the "Gran Unidad Rescate de Sanguily"); also the special troops (Brigada Especial Nacional "Gallitos Negros") of the interior ministry (MININT).[20][21][22]
Red
The military police (Tropas de Prevención) wear red berets.[23][24][20][22]
Olive green
Special forces (Tropas Especiales "Avispas Negras") since 2011, wear olive green berets (formerly wearing red berets).[20][21][22]
Czech soldiers with a selection of different berets during an Oath swearing ceremony, March 2023.The current style of military berets as well as the new khaki variant are references to the British uniforms worn by the Czechoslovak soldiers during the World War II as part of the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade).Czech soldiers wearing discontinued berets (Light green formerly for all ground forces, in 2023 replaced by khaki berets; Orange worn by Rescue and Civil defence troops, since disbanded). June 2017.
The Armed Forces of the Czech Republic use berets for both battledress and display uniform. The colour of the beret signifies the branch of the armed forces. The beret displays the Czech Army badge (silver for NCOs and enlisted, gold for officers, gold with linden branchlets for generals) and the rank of the individual.[26]
The history of the military berets in the Czech military dates back at least to the World War I, when the Czechoslovak legionaires in France wore the standard field blue military berets as part of their uniforms.[27] After the war and foundation of the First Czechoslovak Republic, the whole uniform continued to be used for ceremonial purposes by the Prague Castle guard. During the World War Two, the Czechoslovak soldiers serving in the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade wore the standard British combat uniforms, including the black beret for armoured corps, with Czechoslovak insignia.[28]
After the war, in 1948, the newly established Czechoslovak Airborne forces adopted the maroon beret, inspired by those worn by the British Paras. After a brief discontinuation by the Communist leadership on ideological basis it was re-established in 1960s and continues to be used until this day.[29] After the Velvet revolution berets were selected as the new standard head cover for the newly democratic Armed Forces, with several colour variants to distinguish the type of Forces or Corps being developed.
In 2023 the Czech Armed Forces updated the colours of their berets, completely discontinuing the orange beret for the Rescue and Civil defence forces (disbanded) and adopting two new colours: blue for the Prague Castle Guard and khaki for the Ground forces (including the 4th Rapid reaction brigade, formerly wearing the maroon berets), both replacing the previous and broadly unpopular light green beret.[30]
The Royal Danish Army first introduced the black berets for its armour personnel in 1958.[31] In 1968 it was extended to the whole army, Homeguard and parts of the Navy and Airforce, replacing the standard issue Side cap.[32]
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
All Estonian military personnel wore berets after the country's independence was reinstated in 1991. Although the practice of wearing berets was suspended, they were brought back in 2013.
Green – Ground forces
Black – Armoured corps, naval units
Slate – Air force
Red – Military police
White – Military bands (when not in parade dress uniform)
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.
Colour
Wearer
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)
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.[34]
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[35] 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.[36]
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.
Colour
Wearer
Wide beret, dark blue
Chasseurs Alpins (the wide beret's nickname is the tarte (pie); it is also worn with a white cover (winter dress)).
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). 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, dissolved since 2020), 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 (Division Luftbewegliche Operationen; DLO), and Division Special Forces (Division Schnelle Kräfte; DSK), including the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK)
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
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:
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.
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:
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:
Navy blue – Standard berets for the Navy, worn by all personnel such as Naval seamen and naval sailors in duty of ships' company, or on the Naval bases.
Black – Submarine forces
Dark Blue – Naval Aviation, Underwater Rescue Service, Naval Hydro-Oceanography Center
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)
Irish Army berets in different coloursExamples 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:
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:
Italian Carabinieri parachutists in a military paradeA female soldier of the Italian Folgore BrigadeItalian 1st Grenadier Regiment
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. Only the Alpini never wore beret, wearing the characteristic Cappello Alpino. 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:
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
All members in the Ground Self-Defense Force are authorized to wear wool 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 affixed to the beret. Berets were previously rifle green, but with the introduction of the Type 18 service uniform, the color has been changed to black.
JGSDF personnel on United Nations missions wear UN blue berets with the United Nations emblem pinned to the front.[42]
JGSDF officers at Camp Courtney, Okinawa in 2014 with previously green beretsA general of the JGSDF (left) with a US Army general (right), 2019, with black beretA JGSDF pathfinder of the 1st Airborne Brigade during an exercise, 2023, with black beret
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.
Green – The Intervention Regiments (SF) (6 Regiments)
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.
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.
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)
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
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.
Veterans Day 2014, NetherlandsColonel 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):
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
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:
Royal blue – Brigade Nord (except cavalry troops, intelligence troops and military police)
Umbra green – Border Guards and Porsanger Battalion
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:
Palestinian Civil and Military policemen wearing navy blue and red berets.
The Palestinian Security Services adopted berets as their standard headgear since their establishment in 1994 following the Oslo Accords. The colouring scheme is similar to neighboring Jordan and Egypt.
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)
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)
Previously known as the PA-SOCOM and includes the Special Forces, Scout Ranger and Light Reaction Regiment and wearing a dark green beret. The Command was elevated as a Combatant Command and has expanded to include the PAF 710th SPOW, the Marine Special Operations Group and the Naval Special Operations Command as well as a K9 Platoon from the deactivated AFP Joint Special Operations Group, a predecessor of SOCOM. The command has shifted to a dark brown beret at around September 2020.
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:
Soldier of the Maltese Armed Forces and the Polish Honor GuardPolish Military Police officers wearing scarlet red berets
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 that 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.
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:
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
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)
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 (top, front, and rear) 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. The multi-piece beret has changed to a smaller beret molded from one piece of material with no air holes.
In 2011 the Russian defence ministry authorised the wearing of berets by all non-naval military personnel as part of their field uniforms.
Airborne Troops general issue berets, Spetznaz units of the Russian Ground Forces (will often wear headwear of other units in the field to avoid identification)
604th Special Purpose Center, 7th OSN, 19th OSN of the National Guard Forces Command Spetsnaz - soldiers are allowed to wear this beret after passing special tests
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, Digital and Intelligence Service 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.
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.
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.
In the Soviet Union berets were sewn together from three pieces of material (top, front and rear) with four air holes two per side seam, one per 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)
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'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.
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
Generals in the army and amphibious corps, personnel in the organizational unit that have not assigned another beret color except the navy's naval unit (fleet)
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.
Black — armoured and mechanised units; signals and headquarters troops; rescue troops; NBC specialists; intelligence, military justice and general staff personnel
The beret was used in the now disbanded (2024) Syrian Arab Armed Forces as a standard patrol cap headgear in all branches of the military. Syria inherited most of their beret colors from Egypt during the period of the United Arab Republic.
Ukrainian paratrooper wearing maroon beretMarines in black berets, 2003Tankman in black beret, 2017Ukrainian national guard, 2020
In the Ukrainian army, the tradition of wearing a beret in uniform begins in 1991 - after the collapse of the USSR. In many respects, the young army imitated and actually continued the traditions of the Soviet Army, in particular, the Airborne Assault Troops and the Marines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wore the corresponding berets of blue and black colours.
The situation changed radically after the beginning of the hybrid war against Russia starting in 2014, when the society, and in particular the Ukrainian servicemen, fundamentally revised their attitude towards the eastern neighbour and their recent past. After fierce battles with Russian special forces, among whom there were paratroopers and marines of the Russian armed forces that fought against Ukrainians in the Donbas during 2014-2015,[56] Ukrainians were disgusted with the military traditions that the russian army inherited from the Soviet Army. In 2017, new elements of the uniform, including berets, were officially introduced in the Armed Forces. Thus, the Special Operations Forces created in 2016 started wearing light grey berets. Meanwhile, Ukrainian paratroopers as well as marines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that joined them later have been willingly wearing the new colours since then.
Since 2017, the Armed Forces have worn berets of the following colours:[57]
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.[58]
Emirati military personnel may also choose to wear military camo coloured ghutra in a turban fashion in keeping with traditional Arabic attire.
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 King 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 (the Special Air Service had adopted a sand coloured beret, was subsequently compelled to change to maroon in common with other airborne units, but resumed wear of the sand beret after the Second World War) and the green beret by the Commandos in late 1942. A khaki beret was worn by the Reconnaissance Corps from 1941 until 1944,[59] and the Royal Air Force Regiment adopted a blue-grey beret in 1943.[60] 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.[61] The GS Cap was not popular, and after the war was replaced with a true beret.[62][63]
Royal Military Police, 1984RAMCLieutenant GeneralMartin Bricknell wearing a dark-blue beret with ACDS insignia.A soldier of the Parachute Regiment wearing the maroon beretThe pale "Cambridge blue" berets of the Army Air Corps in London, 2006
Royal Marine berets; blue berets with red cap badge backing are worn by personnel who are not commando-qualified, while green berets without any cap badge backing are worn by personnel with commando qualification.
An officer of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (on the right), showing the coloured backing patch behind the regimental cap badgeRoyal Air Force airman wearing that service's blue-grey beret
Special Air Service including attached troops who are not SAS-qualified (a white beret was briefly worn on formation of the regiment in 1942 and a maroon beret from 1944 to 1956)
Generic: worn by all other Army units (except Scottish and Irish line infantry regiments), Royal Navy, Royal Marines who are not commando-qualified who include recruits in training, musicians and instructors of the affiliated cadet organisations.[68] (and who wear the Royal Marines cap badge with red backing). Also worn by Sea Cadets, including Royal Marines Cadets.
Personnel serving with the United Nations on peacekeeping missions
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.
Royal Air Force: Officer cadets wear a white disc behind their cap badge.
Members of the Royal Tank Regiment, 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery Royal Artillery,[70] 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.[71] 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.
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.[72] 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.[73]
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 allowed to be worn only 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.[74]
In 1975 the 172nd Light Infantry Brigade at Fort Richardson and 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:
Worn by all soldiers with the Army Service Uniform as standard headgear (The patrol cap is the standard headgear with utility uniforms such as the ACUs; however, the black beret may be authorized with utility uniforms at commander discretions.[75])
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 2019, the army proposed the creation of a grey beret for USASOC soldiers qualified in Psychological operations, but it did not receive official approval.[77]
CNO and COMRIVPATFOR wearing black berets with River Patrol Force TF-116 patch (1969)
Female U.S. Navy sailor wearing the female black beret
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.[81] U.S. Navy SEAL teams serving in Vietnam wore camouflage berets in the field, the only beret somewhat standardized in the SEALs.
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:
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.
Military personnel of any country serving with the African Union peacekeeping forces wore a green-colored beret.[84] AU forces in Mali and Darfur have since been turned over to UN administration and swapped their berets for UN light blue ones.[85][86]
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.
Students of the Polish high school in Casarano, Italy wearing the Cap, General Service
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.[87][88][89]
^Hallett, Edward (24 November 2014). "General Service Cap". Tales from the Supply Depot - Collecting British Empire Militaria. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^Gordon, David. Uniforms of the World War II Tommy (Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, MT, 2005). ISBN1-57510-122-X
^Hallett, Edward (26 February 2016). "Post War Blue Beret". Tales from the Supply Depot - Collecting British Empire Militaria. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^"Yorkshire Gunners honoured for Service in Iraq and Afghanistan". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 2012-09-29. Earlier in the day, in what marks a historic change in the history of one of the Batteries from the Regiment - 4/73 (Sphinx) Battery, the traditional dark blue beret of the Royal Artillery was replaced with a khaki-coloured beret. The change came about as a result of the Battery working closely, in times of war, with the Honourable Artillery Company
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Army black beret
Army Special Operations Troops (Rangers) moss/dry green beret
Army Paratroopers green beret
Navy Marines dark blue beret
Air Force Police light blue beret.jpg)
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Russian Paratroopers 106th VDD
Olive and Red beret wearing National Guardsman on the Day of Remembrance
National Guard troops wearing maroon berets in the 2018 Moscow Victory Day Parade
EMERCOM troops marching in the 2018 Moscow Victory Day Parade.
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Argentina – Jungle Troops (Brigada de Monte XII "General Manuel Obligado")[90]
Bolivia – Special Forces "Bolivian Condors"
Brazil – Jungle Troops
China – During the 80s, camo berets were issued to some of the recon forces of PLA. It has no cap badge on it.
Denmark – Naval Infantry, Armoured forces of Bornholm (Bornholms Værn's Marineinfantery) Disbanded
Ecuador – IWIA (indigenous tribal members unit) forces
Israel – Kfir Brigade (Urban Combat)
Paraguay – Special Naval Forces
Panama – 7th Infantry Company "Macho de Monte"; Comando Operacional de Fuerzas Expeciales (Cadre)
Philippines – Philippine Air Force pararescue
Portugal – "Flechas" and Guinea 3rd Commando Company both wore vertical lizard pattern.
South Africa – 32 Buffalo Battalion, 61 Mechanised Battalion Group and the Special Task Force
South Korea – Army armoured units
Thailand – Royal Thai Marine Corps and Navy SEALs
