Military beret
s have been a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world since the mid-20th century. 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 some countries, berets are associated with elite units, who often wear berets in more unusual colours. For instance, the maroon beret is mostly traditional headgear for elite airborne forces around the world, with a few exceptions like the Russian Airborne Troops, who instead wear a sky blue beret or the Portuguese Paratroopers that wear a green beret.
History
The use of beret-like headgear as a civilian headdress dates back hundreds of years, an early example being the Scottish Blue Bonnet, that became a de facto symbol of Scottish Jacobite forces in the 16th and 17th centuries. As an officially required military headdress, its use dates back to the Carlist Wars of Succession for the Spanish Crown in the 1830s by order of Carlist General Tomás de Zumalacárregui who wanted a local and non-costly way to make headgear that was resistant to the mountain weather, easy to care for and could be used on formal occasions.The French Chasseurs alpins, created in the early 1880s, were the first regular unit to wear the military beret as a standard headgear. 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. 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".
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, can be rolled up and stuffed into a pocket or beneath the shirt epaulette without damage, and can be worn with headphones. The beret is not so useful in field conditions for the modern infantryman, who requires protective helmets, and non-camouflage versions are seldom seen on operations.
The beret was found particularly useful as a uniform for armored-vehicle crews, and the British Tank Corps adopted the headdress as early as 1918.
German AFV crews in the late 1930s also adopted a beret with the addition of a padded crash helmet inside. The colour black was worn by the Royal Tank Corps later Royal Tank Regiment, since it did not show oil stains picked up inside the interior of a vehicle. Black berets continue to be worn by the Royal Tank Regiment, all other British armoured units wear blue berets, regiments in many armies also adopted the wearing of berets.
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, followed by the Commando Forces whose green beret was approved in October of that year. The United States Army Special Forces adopted a darker green beret in 1955, although it was not officially approved until 1961.
Camouflage berets
A camouflage beret is intended for use in the battlefield when wearing combat fatigues. They are mostly issued to the likes of special forces, particularly in jungle warfare operations.History
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 OR's 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 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 OR's would also risk punishment from NCO's/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.
Users
- - Jungle Troops
- - Special Forces "Bolivian Condors"
- - Jungle Troops
- - During the 80s, camo berets were issued to some of the recon forces of PLA. It has no cap badge on it.
- - Naval Infantry, Armoured forces of Bornholm Disbanded
- - IWIA forces
- - Kfir Brigade
- - Special Naval Forces
- - 7th Infantry Company "Macho de Monte"; Comando Operacional de Fuerzas Expeciales
- - Philippine Air Force pararescue
- - "Flechas" and Guinea 3rd Commando Company
- - 32 Buffalo Battalion and 61 Mechanised Battalion Group
- - Army armoured units
- - Royal Thai Marine Corps and Navy SEALs
By country
Afghanistan
Most berets are used by senior enlisted personnel and officers.Algeria
Light green berets are used by para-commando units.Angola
In the Angola Armed Forces, the following berets are in use:Argentina
Berets are worn by some units in the Argentine Armed Forces, with distinctive colors for some units or functions. The beret colours are as follows:Armenia
The Armed Forces continue to wear Soviet-style 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 - Interior Ministry Troops
- Wine red - Interior Ministry Special Troops
- Bright Green - Border Guards
Australia
Austria
The Austrian coat of arms is worn on the left side of the beret. An exception to this rule are members of the Austrian special forces ; after successfully completing the Basic Special Forces Course, they wear the Special Forces Badge instead of the Austrian coat of arms on their berets.Azerbaijan
Bahrain
- 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
- Black — Artillery, Armoured corps, Signals and all officers from and above the rank of Colonel
- Bangladesh Green — Infantry
- Dull Cherry — Army Medical corps
- Scarlet — Military police
- Maroon — Commandos
- Royal Blue — Engineers, Service corps
- Dark Blue — Education corps, Electrical and mechanical engineers, Ordnance, Artillery, Army Dental corps, Naval Service
- Any color with feathers-Cadet
- UN Blue — Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions
Belgium
Benin
Bolivia
Berets in Bolivian Army:- Black — Paratroopers
- Maroon — Armoured Corps
- Green — Special Operations Forces, Commandos
- Camouflage — Special Forces "Bolivian Condors"
- Tan — Mountain Infantry
- Blue — Engineer units
- Royal Blue - Air Force Infantry personnel
Brazil
Bulgaria
Berets have been worn by Bulgarian military personnel since 1991. Berets vary in colour according to the military branch, and carry a crest pin resembling the unit's insignia.- Red — Bulgarian Land Forces and the counter-terrorism police detachment SOBT
- Light blue — Bulgarian Air Force and the 68th Special Forces Brigade
- Black — Bulgarian Navy SOF and the Gendarmerie
- Green — Military police
Cambodia
- Dark red - 911 Special Forces Regiment
- Royal Purple - Military Police
Cameroon
- Bataillon des Troupes Aéroportées - dark red/maroon
- Bataillon Spécial Amphibie - Dark green
- Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide - light green
- Fusiliers de l'Air - royal blue
- Fusiliers Marins - black
- Garde Presidentielle - royal purple
- " All others army units - Navy Blue
- " Gendarmerie - Red
Canada
Chile
Berets in Chilean Army:- Black — Special Operations Brigade "Lautaro"
- Maroon — Armoured Cavalry
- Green — Mountain troops
- Olive green — Aviation Brigade
- Black — Combat crews and Maritime Boarding and Police operatives
- Green — Combat Divers and Marine special forces
- Dark blue — Parachuting demonstration group Boinas Azules and Ground troops
- Black — Special forces
China
Type 99 beret
- Olive green — Ground Forces and Strategic Forces
- Dark blue — Navy
- Black - Marine corps
- Blue-grey — Air Force
NOT OFFICIAL:
- Red—CAPF Provincial Women Special Police Corps
- Dark blue—Public Security Police SWAT
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
Berets are worn by all personnel of the National Army of Colombia, certain members of the Navy and National Police, with distinctive colors for some units or functions. The beret colors are:Croatia
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 of ex brigades.
Joint staff:
- Green with golden cap badge — Joint staff
- Red — presidential guard on their battledress uniforms
- Green — Special Operations Battalion
- Black — Military police
- 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"
Also dark blue beret is used in Croatian Navy.
Cuba
In the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, the following berets are in use:Czech Republic
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.Denmark
The Royal Danish Army first introduced berets for its armour personnel in 1958. It was later extended to the whole army, Homeguard and parts of the Navy and Airforce, replacing the standard issue Side cap.Ecuador
Berets are worn by all personnel of the Ecuadorian Army and certain members of the Navy and Air Force, with distinctive colours for some units or functions. The beret colours are:Egypt
- Maroon — Paratroopers
- Forest green — Armour
- Dark blue — Infantry
- Dark blue with red band — Presidential Guard
- Black — Artillery
- Red — Military Police
- Green — Engineers
Eritrea
- Red — Air Force Units
- Green — Army Units
- Blue — Naval Units
- Purple — Border Guard
Estonia
- Green — Ground Forces
- Black — Armoured Corps, Naval Units
- Red — Military police
- White - Military Bands Service when not in parade dress uniform
Finland
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 the 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 Ministry of Interior during peacetime.
- Brown — Special Border Jägers
- Olive — Border Jägers
- Olive — Army
- Olive — Finnish Rapid Deployment Force and Army units abroad
- UN Blue — UN peace keepers
- Black — Armoured Brigade
- Burgundy — Airborne Jägers of the Utti Jäger Regiment
- Royal Blue — Army helicopter pilots
- Royal Blue — Air Force
- Royal Blue — Military bands
- Navy Blue — Navy, including coastal troops, except for Coastal Jägers
- Green — Coastal Jägers
France
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 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 Foreign Legion paratroop 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.
With the exception of the Commandos Marine and the Fusiliers Marins, whose berets are worn pulled to the right, all other French military berets are pulled to the left with the badge worn over the right eye or temple.
Gendarmerie personnel serving with the European Gendarmerie Force – an EU crisis response and intervention force – wear the standard EUROGENDFOR royal blue beret and badge when so assigned.
Gabon
Berets in Gabonese Army:- Dark red/rouge— Paratroopers
- Light grey — Armoured troops
- Green — Republican Guard
- Green — Commandos Marine
- Dark red — Army Medical Corps
- Dark blue — other Army units
Germany
Military bands wear the beret colour of their respective division.
Note: The Panzerjäger started off with black berets but were moved into the Panzergrenadier branch. The last Panzerjägers wore green berets.
Ghana
The beret colours worn by the Ghana Army are as follows:- Black — Armoured Corps
- Dark Green — Airborne Force
- Red — Military Police
- Dark Blue — All other Arms and Corps
Greece
- Light blue — Presidential Guard
- Black — Armoured Corps
- Green — Special Forces
- 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
The beret colours worn by the Hellenic Air Force are:
- Blue-grey — Air Force Underwater Operations Squadron
- Dark red/Maroon — Air Force Special Operations Squadron
Guatemala
- Black - Parachute Brigade
- Maroon - Kaibiles
Hungary
Berets currently in Hungarian military:
- Black — Armoured Units
- Black — Voluntary Aera Defend Reservist's
- Black — Flotilla
- Red — Military Police
- Scarlet — Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Artillery
- Dark green — Paratroopers, Long-range recons, Field recons
- Olive green — Engineers
- Olive green — Infantry
- Grass green - Border Guard
- Dark brown — Guard Battalion Special Team
- Tan — 2nd Vitéz Bertalan Árpád Special Operations Brigade
Iceland
Icelandic armed services commonly use berets.India
The beret is the standard headgear for the Indian Army. 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:- Light Green — Infantry regiments and Military Intelligence
- Dark green — Rifle Regiments, some Light Infantry regiments, COBRA jungle warfare Commandos, and the National Cadet Corps
- Maroon — The Parachute Regiment, Special Forces, Special Frontier Force, Garud Commandos and Marine Commandos
- Black — Armoured Corps, Border Security Force, the National Security Guards
- Grey — Army Aviation Corps, IMA & OTA Cadets and the Indian Air Force
- Scarlet — Corps of Military Police
- Navy blue — The Regiment of Artillery, Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Support Arms and Services, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force
- Sand — Border Road Organisation and General Reserve Engineer Force
- Dark Blue — National Disaster Response Force
- Light Blue — All personnel serving with the United Nations forces irrespective of unit, arm or service
Indonesia
Military and Police services according to their beret colours which represent different units within the force are as shown below:
- Indonesian Army
- *Green - Army HQ, Territorial Army, regular Infantry and Army staff
- *Red - Army Special Forces Commandos including Para-Commandos
- *Dark Green - Raider Infantry air-mobile and special operations capable units, Mechanized Infantry and the Strategic Command Corps which itself includes infantry brigades, Airborne brigades, reconnaissance platoons, cavalry and artillery battalions.
- *Black - Cavalry and Armored Cavalry Corps
- *Brown - Field Artillery corps and Air Defense Artillery corps
- *Steel Gray - Corps of Engineers
- *Maroon - Army Aviation Corps
- *Khaki - Signal Corps
- *Dark Blue - Logistics and Transportation Corps
- Indonesian Navy commandos in formation wearing their distinctive orange beret
- *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.
- *Reddish Purple - Marine Corps and Joint naval special forces
- *Maroon - Frogman Command
- Indonesian Air Force
- *Blue - Standard berets for the Air Force, with Air Force insignia worn by Airmen and Air Force staff.
- *Orange - Air Force Infantry Special Operation Corps .
- Inter-services
- *Black - All personnel in Armed Forces/TNI HQ
- *Light Blue - Military Police personnel from all branches.
- *Light Blue - All personnel attached in United Nations' Peace Keeping Force, and the Presidential Security Force
- *Dark Brown - Military Cadets
- Paramilitary units
- *Dark Blue - Mobile Brigade Corps, beret dragged to the left
- Non-military
- *Dark Brown - Scouts
- *Light Brown - Ministry of Defence employees and Armed Forces Civil Servants, beret dragged to the left
- *Purple - College Students Regiment
Iran
- Dark Blue - Iranian Marines
- Black - Iranian Army Airborne Forces, IRGC Commandos, and Police
- Green - Iranian Army Special Forces, Iranian Marines Special Forces, IRGC Special Forces
- Tan - Iranian Army Commandos
- Maroon - Iranian Army Tank Crew
Iraq
Beret colors currently worn by Iraqi forces are as follows:
- Maroon — Army
- Khaki — no longer used
- Green — Special Forces
- Bright Red — Military Police
- Black — Police
- Blue — Air Force
- Dark Blue - Iraqi Navy
- Blue-Grey - no longer worn
Ireland
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:
Israel
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
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; Army Incursori Special Operations Forces
- Light blue — Army Aviation, 66th Airmobile Infantry Regiment
- Black — all other Army units
- Green - The Lagunari Serenissima amphibious infantry Regiment received 'Lagoon green' berets in 2011 after service in Afghanistan
- Green — Navy Commando frogmen Operational Raider Group
- Medium blue - Navy Rescue frogmen Operational Divers Group
- Navy blue - San Marco Marine Brigade of the Italian Navy
- Orange - Units part of the Multinational Force and Observers mission in Sinai
- Teal blue — Air Force guards
- Tan — Air Force Incursori
- Maroon — Carabinieri Tuscania Airborne Regiment; Police di Stato Parachute units
- Green — Guardia di Finanza ; Corpo Forestale dello Stato
- Light blue — Prison Police
- Dark blue - Carabinieri
- Red — Carabinieri Cacciatori Hunter units
- Grey — Guardia di Finanza
- Blue — Polizia di Stato
Japan
Jordan
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
Kazakhstan
- Light Blue - Paratroops
- Maroon - National Guard - Internal security
- Orange - Emergency Rescue Units
- Navy Blue - Navy Units
Kenya
- Black — Armoured Corps
- Green — Airborne Battalion
- Red — Military police
- Dark Blue - All other Arms and Corps including naval service
- Blue Grey - Air Force
Kuwait
- Green - National Guard
- Olive Green - National Guard Training Institute
- Commando Green - 25th Commando Brigade
- Black - Army Ground forces and Navy forces
- Police Black - Ministry of Interior and National Assembly Guard
- Fire black - The General Fire Department and logistics support
- Red - Military Police
- Maroon - Amiri Guard Authority
- Commando Maroon - 67th Special Operations Battalion
- Blue - Aviation
- Light Blue - Air Force
- Commando blue - Special Forces
- khaki tan - Military College
Latvia
- Olive-green — Special Tasks Unit
- Red — Military police
- Black - National Guard, Navy
- Tan - Mechanized infantry brigade from 18.11.2018
- Blue - Air Force
Lebanon
The Lebanese Army, unlike most militaries, wears the beret slanted on the left side as the Army emblem is positioned to the right aligned with the right eyebrow.
- Green - The Fast Intervention Regiments
- Brown - Airborne Regiment
- Red - Military Police
- Black - Republican Guard Brigade, Anti-terrorism Unit MOKAFAHA
- Maroon beret - Commando Regiment Fawj al-Maghaweer, Lebanese navy seals Maghāwīr al Baħr
- Dark Blue — The 11 Brigades, Cadets and the rest of the Army.
Lithuania
- Maroon — National Defence Volunteer Forces
- Scarlet — Military Police
- Green — All other forces excluding the Air Force and the Navy
- Grey — SOF- Special operations force
Malaysia
Maldives
The beret colours worn by the Maldives National Defense Force are as follows:- Maroon — Special Forces
- Red — Military Police
- Green — Marines and other support units
- Black — Parade Beret for Coast Guard
Mali
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
In the Mexican Army, the beret is worn by:- Green - Special Forces
- Maroon — Paratroopers
- Black — Presidential Guards Corps
- Steel Grey — Armor
- Brown - Airmobile Units
- Black — Paratroopers, Navy Special Forces.
Mongolia
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
- Black - Police unit
- Light blue - UN peacekeepers
Morocco
- Lime Green - Armed Forces, including Paratroopers
- Red - Royal Guard
- 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
- Brown — Army general use
- Red — Commandos
- Olive Green - Forcas Especiais
- Navy blue — Fuzileiros
Nepal
- Deep Green: Nepalese Army
- Maroon: Nepal Police
- Grey: Armed Police Force
Netherlands
The following colours are also used :
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 —
- Green — Commandos of the Korps Commandotroepen
- Maroon — Airmobile troops of the 11 Air Manoeuvre Brigade "11 Luchtmobiele Brigade"
- Black — Armour and Cavalry
- Petrol — Royal Netherlands Army
Air Force:
- Grey-blue — Royal Netherlands Air Force
- Bright blue — with emblem Koninklijke Marechaussee
- UN blue — All military members of the United Nations
- Brick red — All military members of the Multinational Force and Observers
- Dark blue — 1Corps
- 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 — Blue with white, red or orange border
- Cavalry — Blue with black border
- Artillery — Black with red border
- Engineers — Brown
- Signals — Blue with white border
- Logistics — Yellow
- 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
Royal New Zealand Navy -- Dark blue - Military police
- Dark blue/black - All other branches
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' - New Zealand Special Air Service
- Dark blue - All other corps
- Sand or 'ecru' - New Zealand Special Air Service
- Dark blue - Royal New Zealand Military Police
- Rifle green - All other corps
The RNZAF does not currently wear berets except for;
- Dark blue - Military police
Nicaragua
Berets in Nicaraguan Army:
- Green — Special Forces
- Black - Generals of Staff's Protection VIP
- Dark Blue — Special Naval Forces
Nigeria
- Dark Green — Army
- light red. - Military Police
- Dark red. - medical
- Dark blue. - Artillery
Norway
The Norwegian armed forces use the beret as a garrison cap, but some units 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 or silver ; 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
- Umbra green — Border Guards
- Black — Cavalry, armoured battalion and KESK
- Khaki — Norwegian Army 2nd Battalion
- Emerald green — Telemark Battalion
- Maroon — Army Ranger Command
- Red — Military police
- Olive green — formerly used by other army units & Home Guard
- Grey — Home Guard
- Olive green with silver badge — recruits in His Majesty's The Kings Guards; Krigsskolen
- Dark blue — Royal Norwegian Navy
- Air force blue — Royal Norwegian Air Force Base Defence Units
- Air force light blue — Royal Norwegian Air Force Air Defence Artillery Units
- Green — Marinejegerkommandoen
- Blue — Minedykkerkommandoen
- Maroon — Kystjegerkommandoen
- Red - Military Police
Pakistan
- Rifle green — Frontier Force Regiment, Defence Services Guards
- Rifle green with cherry color patch behind the badge - Baloch Regiment
- Green with Green Plume — Punjab Regiment
- Cherry Pink with a red feather hackle — Sindh Regiment
- Green with red patch behind badge — Azad Kashmir Regiment
- Chitrali Style with White Feather — Northern Light Infantry
- Black — Regiments of Armored Corps
- Dark Blue — Regiment of Artillery, Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Corps of Signals
- Maroon — Army Air Defence, Army Aviation Corps
- Light Blue — Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, Army Services Corps
- Red — Pakistan Army Medical Corps, Military Police
- Dark Maroon - Special Service Group
- Green with Red Plume - Pakistan Military Academy Cadets
- Dark Blue - Worn by the General Staff officers irrespective of their Regimental association.
Paraguay
Berets in Paraguayan Army:
- Green — Paratroopers
- Dark Blue - Presidential Guard
- Camouflage — Special Naval Forces
- Red - Air Force Infantry and Airborne personnel
Panama
- Black - 7th Infantry Company "Macho de Monte"; Comando Operacional de Fuerzas Expeciales
- 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
Philippines
Poland
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, navy for field and work uniform, paratroopers, and marines. 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:
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 with rank insignia placed on chest.
Portugal
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:
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.receives the Bronze Cross of Rhodesia in 1976
in an Eland, wearing black berets, the Rhodesians frequently wore berets in their vehicles.
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:
Like the United Kingdom, Rhodesia also used flashes and hackles behind cap badges on their berets as well such as:
- 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
- The Blue and Red hackle of the 4th Battalion Rhodesian Regiment Beret.
Romania
Russia
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: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.
.
The Soviet-era beret color scheme detailed above 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 2011 the Russian defence ministry authorised the wearing of berets by all non-naval military personnel as part of their field uniforms.
troops marching in the 2018 Moscow Victory Day Parade.
The current beret colour scheme is:
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
- Tan/sand - Bataillon de Parachutistes
- Brown - Bataillon de Commandos
- Black - Detachment Forces Speciales
- Orange - Groupement Mobil d'Intervention
- Blue - Legion de Gendarmerie d'Intervention
- Green - Compagnie Fusilier de Marine Comandos
Serbia
- Olive green — Army
- Black — Military Police
- Red — 72nd Brigade for Special operations
- Maroon - 63rd Parachute Brigade
- Steel blue — Air Force
- Navy blue — Navy
Singapore
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.
- National Cadet Corps - Green
- National Cadet Corps - Blue
- National Cadet Corps - Black
- National Police Cadet Corps- Dark Blue
- National Civil Defence Cadet Corps- Black
Slovakia
Slovenia
- 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
South Africa
The South African Army 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 elite units in the western world.
South Korea
Berets are worn by members of the Republic of Korea Army and some elite units of the South Korean Military, including:- Black — Army Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command, Reserve Officer Training Corps, KATUSA
- Dark Green — Army
- Dark Blue - Air Force Military Police
- Red — Air Force Combat Control Team
- Maroon — Air Force Special Air Rescue Team
- Green — Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, Marine Corps armoured units
- Grey — Navy UDT/SEAL Team
- Camouflage — Army armoured units
- reddish brown - Army aviation
- UN Blue - United Nations peacekeepers
South Vietnam
American advisers assigned to these units wore the berets.- Red — Paratroopers
- Green — Marines, LLDB
- Maroon — Rangers
- Black — Navy Junk Force
- Black — Palace guards
- Tan — political officers
Spain
The beret is used in the various armed forces of Spain. The colours used are:Sri Lanka
- 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
- Blue - Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, The Gemunu Watch & 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
Sudan
The beret is worn by all police and military personnel.- Maroon - Paratroops
- Pink - special police
Switzerland
The colours used are:
- 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 - Special Operation Forces
Thailand
- 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, Airborne Police units, Border Patrol Police
- Camouflage — Royal Thai Marine Corps and Navy SEALs
- Navy Blue - Volunteer Defense Corps Part of Department Of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Interior
- UN Blue - Personnel serving with the United Nations on peacekeeping missions
Togo
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
- Black: Armoured Corps of Turkish Land Forces.
- Blue: Elite units of Turkish Armed Forces.
- * Dark-Blue: Personnel of General Directorate of Security riot team and Police Counter Attack Team.
- * Navy-Blue: VIP guard team of the Turkish Air Force.
- * UN Blue: Personnel serving with the United Nations.
- Green: Personnel of Gendarmerie General Command and General Directorate of Security.
- * Bluish-Green: Personnel of Police Special Operation Department.
- * Dark-Green: Overseas deployment personnel of Turkish Armed Forces.
- Maroon: Personnel of Special Forces Command.
- Red: Personnel of National Intelligence Organization.
- Tan: CSAR units of the Turkish Air Force.
Ukraine
- Maroon - Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, formerly wore light blue
- Black - Ukrainian Naval Infantry
United Arab Emirates
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
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 the Parachute Regiment 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, and the Royal Air Force Regiment adopted a blue-grey beret in 1943. Later in the war, a rather baggier beret-like hat, called the General Service Cap, was issued to all ranks of the British Army, to replace the earlier Field Service Cap. The GS Cap was not popular, and after the war was replaced with a true beret.
Today, every British military unit wears a beret, with the exception of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Royal Irish Regiment, who wear the tam o'shanter and the caubeen respectively. 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.
Beret Colours
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
Some Regiments and Corps wear a coloured backing behind the capbadge. These include:- Foot Guards - Blue Red Blue patch
- Honourable Artillery Company - Black Circle
- Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment - Blue Yellow Blue Patch
- Royal Anglian Regiment - Small Black 'Tombstone'
- Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps — Red Patch
- Royal Army Medical Corps - Dull Cherry Oval Patch
- Army Air Corps - Black Patch
- Army Physical Training Corps - Patch in Corps Colours
- Royal Marines 'Red Tombstone'
- Royal Welsh Regiment and Mercian Regiment - Green badge outline and square respectively
- Queen's Royal Lancers - Red Patch
- Household Cavalry - Blue Red Blue patch
- The Royal Dragoon Guards - Red Diamond Patch
- Yorkshire Regiment - Brunswick Green.
- Royal Scots Dragoon Guards - Black patch
- King's Royal Hussars - Red Patch
- Royal Wessex Yeomanry All ranks, from all 4 Squadrons wear a black patch behind the cap badge, as a 4 sqdns retain individual cap badges B and D wear a red flash between the black square and badge.
- Parachute regiment, soldiers awaiting phase 2 training to attend P company wear a green oval behind the capbadge.
Old Units
Former regiments and corps, now amalgamated:- Dark Blue - Queens Regiment, Royal Hampshire Regiment
- Khaki — Green Howards, King's Own Royal Border Regiment, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps, infantry motor battalions in World War II
- Dark green — Light Infantry, Royal Green Jackets, Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry, Rifle Brigade, King's Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
- Black — all Royal Armoured Corps regiments in World War II, Royal Observer Corps, Westminster Dragoons, Berkshire and Westminster Dragoons
- Maroon — Glider Pilot Regiment and glider-borne units
- Green — Women's Royal Army Corps, women in Officers Training Corps, officers in Inns of Court Regiment
- Brown with a broad crimson headband and NO hat badge - 11th Hussars
United States
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. 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.
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.
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. U.S. Navy SEAL teams serving in Vietnam wore camouflage berets in the field, the only beret somewhat standardized in the SEALs.
Uruguay
- Military
- * Grey - Army 14th Parachute Battalion
- * Green - Army 13th Armor Battalion
- Police
- * Black - Police Coraceros Regiment
Vatican State
Venezuela
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.
Vietnam
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
- Green and camouflaged berets are worn by Infantry Reconnaissance troopers and Ground Commandos respectively.
- Red berets are worn by Airborne Forces.
Zambia
- Black - Armoured troops
- Green – Zambia rifles
- 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
- Green — Infantry
- Black — Armoured Regiment
- Maroon — Parachute Battalion
- Tartan Green - Commando Battalion
- Tan - Special Air Service
- Yellow — Presidential Guard
- Cherry Red — Military Police
- Blue-gray — Zimbabwe Air Force
- Dark Blue — All other units
International forces
United Nations
- UN blue: United Nations peacekeeping forces wear a light blue beret.
Multinational Force and Observers
- Terracotta: All military members of the Multinational Force and Observers wear a terracotta-colored beret or bush hat in lieu of their normal headgear.
African Union
- Lime or light green: African Union peacekeeping forces wear a lime or light green beret. AU troops were recently seen wearing the green berets in Sudan but only for a short while. The AU peacekeeping forces were later turned over to UN administration and swapped out their green berets for UN light blue ones.