document_title: Military beret

question_text: who wears a green beret in the air force

question_tokens: who wears a green beret in the air force

text: Military beret

text: History[edit]

text: The use of beret-like headgear by the military of Europe dates back hundreds of years, the first 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.[citation needed]

text: 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".[1]

text: 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 (this is one of the reasons why early tank crews adopted the beret). 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.

text: The beret was found particularly useful as a uniform for armored-vehicle crews, and the British Tank Corps (later Royal Tank Corps) adopted the headdress as early as 1918.

text: German AFV crews in the late 1930s also adopted a beret with the addition of a padded crash helmet inside. The color black became popular as a tank-crew headdress, since it did not show oil stains picked up inside the interior of a vehicle. Black berets continue to be worn by armored regiments in many armies.

text: An unusual form of beret is the camouflage beret, mostly issued to special forces. Countries that have issued camouflage berets include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, PRC, Denmark, Ecuador, Israel, Paraguay, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, and Thailand.

text: Berets have become the default military headdress of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, just as the morion, tricorne, shako, kepi, and peaked cap were each common headgear in their own respective eras. As recorded below the beret is now worn by many military personnel of the majority of nations around the globe.

text: Military berets by country[edit]

text: Afghanistan[edit]

text: Most berets are used by senior enlisted personnel and officers.

text:
Colour
Wearer

Forest Green
Afghan Armed Forces

Maroon
Commandos

Tan
Special Forces

Cerulean
Afghan National Police

text: Algeria[edit]

text: Light green berets are used by para-commando units.

text: Angola[edit]

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

text:
Colour
Wearer

Green
Páraquedistas (Paratroopers)

Brown
Army general use

Black
Navy and Fuzileiros Navais (Marines)

Red
Commandos

Medium blue
Air Force

text: Argentina[edit]

text: Berets are worn by some units in the Argentine Armed Forces,[2][3] with distinctive colors for some units or functions. The beret colours are as follows:

text:
Army

Colour
Wearer

Dark Green
601 Commando Company, 602 Commando Company, Jungle troops

Black
Armor & mechanized infantry troops

Scarlet
Paratroops

Claret
601 Air Assault Regiment

Tan
Mountain troops

Dark Blue
Army aviation

Brown
Army tactical divers

Olive green
All other army units

text:
Navy

Colour
Wearer

Dark Green
Amphibious Commandos Group

Black
Naval Infantry Command in the windy southern regions

Brown
Navy Tactical Divers Group

text:
Air force, Gendermarie & Others

Colour
Wearer

Dark Blue
Air Force Special Operations group

Dark Green
Other gendermarie units

Orange
Instituto Antártico Argentino

UN blue
United Nations operations

text: Armenia[edit]

text: 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.

text:
Light blue - Airborne Forces, Peacekeeping Forces
Black - Interior Ministry Troops
Wine red - Interior Ministry Special Troops
Bright Green - Border Guards

text: Australia[edit]

text: In the Royal Australian Navy, dark blue berets are an optional uniform item available to all members, with distinguishing badges to identify the ranks of Sailors and Officers.

text: Berets are worn by all corps in the Australian Army, with distinctive colours for some units:[4]

text:
Black — Royal Australian Armoured Corps
Sand — Special Air Service Regiment
Light blue — Australian Army Aviation
Scarlet — Royal Australian Corps of Military Police
Dull cherry — 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Parachute Riggers (RAAOC)
Rifle green — Royal Australian Regiment
Sherwood green — 1st Commando Regiment and 2nd Commando Regiment
Slate grey — Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps
Dark blue — Royal Australian Navy Sailors, mainly Clearance Divers
Terracotta - worn by Multinational Force and Observers contingents.
Dark blue - Royal Australian Air Force Security Forces Squadron.
Aircraft grey - No. 4 Squadron RAAF Combat Control Team.

text: In all cases, the beret is 'bashed' to the right, and a badge or insignia is worn above the left eye.

text: Austria[edit]

text: Berets are common in most parts of the Army, and are usually worn for special occasions, but also regularly by certain forces. Officers wear a gold coat of arms emblem on the left side, and enlisted personnel wear silver. Members of the Jagdkommandos who have completed the Jagdkommandogrundkurs (English: Hunting Command Basic Course) instead wear the Jagdkommando badge on their berets.

text:
Colour
Wearer

Green
Infantry, and all other units

Black
Armor & Panzergrenadier troops

Scarlet
Gardebataillon

Red
Jägerbataillon 25

Coral
Military Police

Rust Brown
Leadership Support School and Leadership Support Battallions

Pike Grey
ABC Defense School

Dark Blue
Army Logistics School and Command Support Service

Yellow Green
Athletes of the Armed Forces Sports Centers

Olive
Jagdkommandos

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

text: Azerbaijan[edit]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Green
State Border Service (Azerbaijan) Mobile Divisions

Black
Azerbaijani National Guard Mobile Divisions

Red
Internal Troops of Azerbaijan, Special Forces of Azerbaijan

Medium blue
Internal Troops of Azerbaijan Special Purpose Police Unit

text: Bahrain[edit]

text:
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

text: Bangladesh[edit]

text:
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

text: Belgium[edit]

text: 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.

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Armoured troops, Guides (Scouts), Chasseurs à Cheval and some engineer units

Dark Green
Medical component

Green
2 Commando, Paracommando Field Artillery and the Commando Training Centre

Olive Green
(Large-brimmed, basque type with folded-in brim and wild boar's head badge ) — Chasseurs Ardennais

Dark Blue
Artillery and Royal Military Academy

Navy Blue
(No metal cap badge, but embroidered crest) — Navy component (Formerly also naval infantry with metal badge)

Cobalt Blue
Logistics and administration troops

Blue Grey
Air component

Light Blue
Former Land component Light Aviation (now part of Air Component)

Maroon
Paracommando Immediate Reaction Cell (HQ), 1 Para, 3 Para, Special Forces Group, Parachute Training Centre

Red
Military police

Brown
Infantry, Chasseurs à Pieds and Belgian United Nations Command (during the Korean War)

Khaki
"General service" beret with lion badge worn on training by all troops (Obsolete)

Grey
Transmission troops and some engineer units

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

text: Benin[edit]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Armoured corps

Green
Infantry and other Army units

Dark Blue
Gendarmerie

Maroon
Paratroopers

text: Bolivia[edit]

text: Berets in Bolivian Army:

text:
Black — Paratroopers
Maroon — Armoured Corps
Green — Special Operations Forces, Commandos
Camouflage — Special Forces "Bolivian Condors"
Tan — Mountain Infantry (Satinadores de Montaña)[5]
Blue — Engineer units

text: Berets in Bolivian Air Force:

text: Royal Blue - Air Force Infantry personnel

text: Brazil[edit]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Olive green
All other Army units

Brown
Were used by Units of the COPESP (As of 2016 is being replaced by Wine Red Berets, For who is a Paratrooper, or Olive Green Barets and Black Caps)

Black
Used by Armored and Mechanized Cavalry/Infantry Brigades.

Scarlet red
Students of Colégio Militar (middle and high school).

Grey
Mountain Units, From the 4°  Light Infantry Brigade (No longer used)

Dark blue
Students of Military Formation Schools (Cadets, Officer Candidates, NCO Candidates)

Royal blue
Army aviation, From the CAvEx.

Wine red
Paratroopers

Camouflage
Jungle troops (stopped being used in 2012 and will resume usage in early 2017)

Tan
Air Assault Units (From the 12° Light Infantry Brigade)

UN blue
Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

text: Bulgaria[edit]

text: 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.

text:
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

text: Cambodia[edit]

text:
Dark red - 911 Special Forces Regiment
Royal Purple - Military Police

text: Cameroon[edit]

text:
Bataillon des Troupes Aéroportées (Airborne Battalion) - dark red/maroon
Bataillon Spécial Amphibie (Special Amphibious Battalion) - light green
Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide (Rapid Intervention Battalion) - light green
Fusiliers de l'Air (Air Force Infantry) - royal blue
Fusiliers Marins (Marine Infantry) - black
Garde Presidentielle (Presidential Guard) - royal purple

text: Canada[edit]

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

text:
Colour
Wearer

Air force blue
Air force

Black
Armoured, Royal Canadian Navy

CF Green
Army

Scarlet
Military police

Maroon
Paratroopers serving in active jump companies

Blaze orange
Search-and-rescue technicians

Terracotta
Personnel serving with the Multinational Force and Observers

Tan
Special operations forces

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

text: Chile[edit]

text: Berets in Chilean Army:

text:
Black — Special Operations Forces (Fuerzas Especiales), Comandos and Paratroopers (Paracaidistas)
Maroon — Armoured Corps
Green — Mountain troops (Tropas de Montaña)

text: Berets in Chilean Navy:

text:
Black — Combat crews and Maritime Boarding and Police operatives
Green — Combat Divers (Navy) and Comandos Anfibio (Marine Corps Special Operations)

text: Berets in Chilean Air Force:

text:
Dark blue — Parachuting demonstration group Boinas Azules and Ground troops
Black — Special forces

text: China[edit]

text:
Since May 5, 2000, the People's Liberation Army has adopted woolen berets for all its personnel,[6] along with the traditional peaked caps.
Type 99 beret

text:
Olive green — Ground Forces and Strategic Forces
Dark blue — Navy
Black - Marine corps
Blue-grey — Air Force (including Airborne troops)

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

text:
Red—CAPF Provincial Women Special Police Corps
Dark blue—Public Security Police SWAT

text: During the 80s, camo berets were issued to some of the recon forces of PLA. It has no badge on it.

text:
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.

text: 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.

text: Colombia[edit]

text: 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:

text:
Colour
Wearer in Army
Wearer in Navy
Wearer in Police

Black
Lancero, Personal Freedom Unified Action Group (GAULA), Lanceros School
Naval Infantry
Special Operations Commands (COPES)

Hunter Green
Ground Operations Units

Special Operations Groups(GOES)

Orange
Infantry battalion (COLBATT) in Multinational Force and Observers (MTO)

Prussian Blue
Aerotransported units and Paratroopers School

Red Wine
Urban Special Forces

Terracotta
Special Forces

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

text: Croatia[edit]

text:
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.

text: Joint staff:

text:
Green with golden cap badge — Joint staff
Red — presidential guard on their battledress uniforms
Green (badge on the right) — Special Operations Battalion
Black — Military police

text: Guard brigades:

text:
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"

text:
Black beret is also used in Cadet battalion.
Also dark blue beret is used in Croatian Navy.[citation needed]

text: Cuba[edit]

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

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
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). [7] [8] [9]

Red
The military police (Tropas de Prevención) wear red berets. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Olive Green
Special forces (Tropas Especiales "Avispas Negras") since 2011, wear olive green berets (formerly wearing red berets). [14] [15] [16]

Olive
Militias (Milicias de Tropas Territoriales) wear olive-colored berets [17] [18] [19]

text: Czech Republic[edit]

text: 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.[20]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Military Police

Dark Green
Reconnaissance troops

Dark Blue
Air Force

Maroon
4th Rapid Deployment Brigade, 601st Special Forces Group

Orange
Civil defence troops

Grey
Logistics, Medical troops

Light Green
Other ground forces (mechanised infantry, armour, artillery, NBC protection, Engineering Brigades, etc.)

text: Denmark[edit]

text: 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.[21]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
All Army combat units: JDR, GHR, LG, HKIC, Garnisonskommandant Vordingborg and 1DAA[22]

Green
All Army non-combat units: Engineers, Logistics, Army Intelligence Center, Army Home Guard

Blue
Signal troops

Dark Blue
Royal Danish Navy; Naval Home Guard

Light Blue Grey
Royal Danish Air Force; Air Force Home Guard

Maroon
Jægerkorpset, SOKOM

Red
Military Police(All Branches)

Light Blue (or "Mouse Grey")
Army Air Service, Disbanded

Dark brown
Danish Women's Voluntarily Corp (Dansk Lottekorps), Disbanded

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

text: Ecuador[edit]

text: 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:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Military Police; Naval Infantry (Infantería de Marina)

Dark Green
all other Army units; National Police GIR (Intervention & Rescue Unit)

Dark Blue
Army Aviation (Aviación del Ejército); Air Force Aerial Infantry (Infantería Aérea)

Royal blue
Air Force Security Police

Red
Paratroopers and Special Operations Forces

Grey
for use with the dress uniform (4-B) for those forces using the dark green beret

Camouflage
IWIA (indigenous tribal members unit) forces

text: Egypt[edit]

text:
Maroon — Paratroopers
Forest green — Armour
Dark blue — Infantry
Dark blue with red band — Presidential Guard
Black — Artillery
Red — Military Police
Green — Engineers

text: Eritrea[edit]

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

text:
Red — Air Force Units
Green — Army Units
Blue — Naval Units
Purple — Border Guard

text: Estonia[edit]

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

text:
Green — Ground Forces
Black — Armoured Corps, Naval Units
Red — Military police
White - Military Bands Service when not in parade dress uniform

text: Finland[edit]

text: 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 parachute jägers, but is nowadays used by all units. In the winter, berets are replaced by winter headgear.

text: Berets are also used by the Finnish Border Guard, which is a military organization under the aegis of Ministry of Interior during peacetime.

text:
Olive drab (Badge: Silver lion's head) — Army
Olive drab (Badge: Golden lion's head with a crown) — Finnish Rapid Deployment Force and units abroad (except for UN peacekeepers who wear UN Blue berets with a UN badge)
Blue (Badge: Air Force insignia) — Air Force
Blue (Badge: Silver griffin) — Army aviation
Blue (Badge: Harp and sword) — Military bands
Dark blue (Badge: Anchor and Lion) — Navy, including coastal troops, but with the exception of coastal jägers
Black (Badge: Gothic helmet) — Armoured Brigade
Dark green (Badge: Golden sea eagle's head) — Coastal jägers
Maroon (Badge: Arrow and parachute) — Airborne Jägers and Special Jägers of Utti Jäger Regiment
Olive drab (Badge: Golden bear's head, sword and fir tree twig) — Border Jägers
Brown (Badge: Golden bear's head, sword and fir tree twig) — Special Border Jägers

text: France[edit]

text: 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. The practical uses of the beret were soon known Army-wide: the entire Expeditionary Force sent in China in 1900 used berets as headwear[23] 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 DBLE of the French Foreign Legion when it was created in 1940. The Vichy Milice of the War period wore a blue beret.

text: 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.[24]

text:
With the exception of the Naval Commandos (Commandos Marine) and the Naval Infantry (Fusiliers Marins)  whose berets are worn pulled to the right, all other French military berets (Army, Airforce & Gendarmerie) 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 & intervention force - wear the standard EUROGENDFOR royal blue beret & badge when so assigned.

text:
Colour
Wearer

Wide dark blue
Chasseurs Alpins (the wide beret's nickname is the tarte (pie)) also worn with a white cover (winter dress).

Dark blue
Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air; Troupes de Marine & all other Army troops; Gendarmerie Provost; Naval Fusiliers (badge on left)

Green
French Foreign Legion (badge on right); Naval Commandos (badge on left)

Red (called amarante)
Paratroopers wear red beret (except paratroopers of the Foreign Legion who wear Legion green)

Azure blue
Army Light Aviation

Black
Armoured regiments (Regiments de Chars de Combat); Gendarmerie GIGN anti-terrorist unit

UN blue
Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

text: Gabon[edit]

text: Berets in Gabonese Army:

text:
Dark red/rouge— Paratroopers
Light grey — Armoured troops
Green — Republican Guard
Green — Commandos Marine
Dark red — Army Medical Corps
Dark blue — other Army units

text: Germany[edit]

text: 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.

text:
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);

Dark blue
Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Marine (Navy) infantry and ceremonial guards; Offizieranwärterbataillon (Officer Candidate Battalions of the Army) multinational units (e.g. Eurocorps)

Blue
medical units

Maroon
airborne units (or units with substantial airborne components), including paratroopers, army aviation, Airmobile Operations Division (DLO; Division Luftbewegliche Operationen), and Division Special Forces (DSK; Division Spezielle Kräfte), including the KSK (Kommando Spezialkräfte)

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), 'Instandssetzung' Vehicle Maintenance

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

text: Military bands wear the beret colour of their respective division (e.g. black in the 1. Panzerdivision).

text: Note: The Panzerjäger started off with black berets but were moved into the Panzergrenadier branch. The last Panzerjägers wore green berets.

text: Ghana[edit]

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

text:
Black — Armoured Corps
Dark Green — Airborne Force (ABF)
Red — Military Police
Dark Blue — All other Arms and Corps

text: Greece[edit]

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

text:
Light blue — Presidential Guard
Black — Armoured Corps
Green — Special Forces (including Commandos, Marines and Parachute despatchers/riggers)
Dark red/maroon — Army Aviation
Bright red/scarlet — Airmobile troops
Dark Blue — All other Arms and Corps when in 8a, 8b and 8c Service Dress.

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

text:
Blue-grey (same colours as RAF) — Air Force Underwater Operations Squadron
Dark red/Maroon — Air Force Special Operations Squadron

text: Guatemala[edit]

text:
Black - Parachute Brigade (Brigada Paracaidista)
Maroon - Kaibiles (Special Forces)

text: Hungary[edit]

text: 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.

text: Berets currently in Hungarian military:

text:
Black (with tank troops' badge) — Armoured Units
Black (with anchor badge) — personnel of the river boats
Scarlet (with MP badge) — Military Police
Scarlet(with artillery or AA badge) — Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Artillery
Grass Green (with paratroops badge)— Paratroopers
Grass Green (with engineer's badge)— Engineers
Grass Green (with infantry badge) — Infantry (only in foreign missions)
Dark brown (with infantry badge) - Guard Battalion Special Team (only in the 2000s)

text: Except these official versions different unofficial beret types, colours and badges are worn, for example Dark Blue berets by Signal Corps cadets etc.

text: Iceland[edit]

text: Icelandic armed services commonly use berets.

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Icelandic Coast Guard

Dark Blue
Icelandic Crisis Response Unit

text: India[edit]

text: 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:

text:
Light Green (shades vary considerably) — Infantry regiments and Military Intelligence
Dark (rifle) green — Rifle Regiments, some Light Infantry regiments (including the Mechanised Infantry Regiment), COBRA jungle warfare Commandos, and the National Cadet Corps
Maroon — The Parachute Regiment, Special Forces, Special Frontier Force
Black — Armoured Corps, Border Security Force (BSF), the National Security Guards (NSG)
Grey — Army Aviation Corps 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 — Marine Commandos
Light Blue — All personnel serving with the United Nations forces irrespective of unit, arm or service

text: Indonesia[edit]

text:
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:

text:
Indonesian Army (TNI AD) [25]
Green - Army HQ, Territorial Army, regular Infantry and Army staff
Red - Army Special Forces Commandos ("Kopassus") including Para-Commandos
Dark Green - Raider Infantry air-mobile and special operations capable units, Mechanized Infantry and the Strategic Command Corps ("Kostrad") which itself includes infantry brigades, Airborne brigades, reconnaissance platoons, cavalry and artillery battalions.
Black - Cavalry and Armored Cavalry (Tank) Corps
Brown - Field Artillery corps and Air Defense Artillery corps
Steel Gray - Combat Engineers Corps (currently changed to green)
Maroon - Army Aviation Corps
Khaki - Signal Corps
Dark Blue - Supply and Transportation Corps
Indonesian Navy (TNI AL)
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 (Magenta) - Marine Corps and Joint naval special forces (Jala Mengkara Detachment)
Maroon - Frogman Command
Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU)
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  (Korps PasKhas).
Inter-services
Black - All personnel in Armed Forces/TNI HQ
Light Blue (beret dragged to the left) - Military Police personnel from all branches.
Light Blue - All personnel attached in United Nations' Peace Keeping Force, and the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres)
Dark Brown - Military Cadets
Paramilitary units (not part of armed forces/TNI)
Dark Blue - Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob), beret dragged to the left
Non-military
Dark Brown - Scouts
Light Brown - Ministry of Defence employees and Armed Forces Civil Servants (PNS), beret dragged to the left
Purple - College Students Regiment

text: Iran[edit]

text:
Dark Blue - Iranian Marines
Black - Iranian Army Airborne Forces, IRGC Commandos, and Police
Green - Iranian Army Special Forces (Rangers), Iranian Marines Special Forces, IRGC Special Forces
Tan - Iranian Army Commandos
Maroon - Iranian Army Tank Crew

text: Iraq[edit]

text:
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:

text:
Maroon — Army (formerly Special Republican Guards, Paratroops and/or Special Forces)
Khaki (olive green) — no longer used (formerly Logistics and Transport personnel)
Green — Special Forces (formerly Commandos and Thunder Paratroops)
Bright Red — Military Police
Black — Police (formerly Republican Guards and regular Army)
Blue — Air Force
Dark Blue - Iraqi Navy
Blue-Grey - no longer worn (formerly Iraqi Air Force)

text: Ireland[edit]

text:
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.

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

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Army, Air Corps and Naval Service - Army personnel wear red patch behind cap badge

Red
Military Police

Dark green
Army Ranger Wing (special forces)

UN blue
Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

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

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Army Reserve - worn with red patch behind cap badge

Red
Reserve Military Police - worn with dark green patch behind cap badge

Black
Naval Service Reserve

text: Israel[edit]

text: 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:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Armor Corps

Light Brown
Golani Brigade

Dark Gray
Air Force

Maroon
Paratroopers Brigade and SF units

Lime Green
Nahal Brigade

Purple
Givati Brigade

Camouflage
Kfir Brigade

Turquoise
Artillery Corps

Khaki
Combat Intelligence Corps

Light Grey
Engineering Corps

Bottle Green
Directorate of Military Intelligence, Border Police

Blue
Military Police

Orange
Home Front Command

Olive Green
General Corps

Dark Blue
Sea Corps

text: Italy[edit]

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

text:
Maroon — Paratroopers, Folgore Airborne Brigade; Army Incursori Special Operations Forces
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

text: The Italian Navy uses the following berets:

text:
Green — Navy Commando frogmen Operational Raider Group (COMSUBIN GOI)
Medium blue - Navy Rescue frogmen Operational Divers Group (COMSUBIN GOS)
Navy blue - San Marco Marine Brigade of the Italian Navy
Orange - Units part of the Multinational Force and Observers mission in Sinai

text: The Italian Air Force uses the following berets:

text:
Teal blue — Air Force guards
Tan — Air Force Incursori (RIAM)

text: Other Italian services that use berets:

text:
Maroon — Carabinieri Tuscania Airborne Regiment; Police di Stato Parachute units (Display Team and NOCS)
Green — Guardia di Finanza (GICO); Corpo Forestale dello Stato
Light blue — Prison Police
Dark blue - Carabinieri (MP units)
Red — Carabinieri Cacciatori Hunter units
Grey — Guardia di Finanza
Blue — Polizia di Stato

text: Japan[edit]

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

text: Jordan[edit]

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

text:
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

text: Kazakhstan[edit]

text:
Light Blue - Army
Maroon - National Guard

text: Kenya[edit]

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

text:
Black — Armoured Corps
Green — Airborne Battalion
Red — Military police
Dark Blue - All other Arms and Corps including naval service
Blue Grey - Air Force

text: Kuwait[edit]

text:
Green — National Guard
Commando Green - 25th Commando Brigade
Black — Army Ground forces
Red — Military Police
Maroon — Amiri Guard Authority
Dark Blue - Air Force and Naval Forces

text: Latvia[edit]

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

text:
Olive-green — Special Tasks Unit
Red — Military police
Black - Army, Navy
Blue - Air Force

text: Lebanon[edit]

text: All units, in the Lebanese Armed Forces wear berets when not in combat mode (Helmet), training camp (cap) or formal uniform (formal hat).

text: 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.

text:
Green - The Fast Intervention Regiments (SF)(6 Regiments)
Brown - Airborne Regiment (SF)
Red - Military Police
Black - Republican Guard Brigade (Presidential Guard), Anti-terrorism Unit MOKAFAHA (SF)
Maroon beret - Commando Regiment Fawj al-Maghaweer (SF), Lebanese navy seals Maghāwīr al Baħr (SF)
Dark Blue — The 11 Brigades, Cadets and the rest of the Army.

text: Lithuania[edit]

text:
Maroon — National Defence Volunteer Forces
Scarlet — Military Police
Green — All other forces excluding the Air Force and the Navy
Grey — (SOP- Specialiųjų operacijų pajėgos) SOF- Special operations force

text: Malaysia[edit]

text: The beret is the headgear of ground forces, air aviations and special forces in the Malaysian Armed Forces. The colours presently used are:

text:
Malaysian Army

Colour
Wearer

Dark Green
Royal Malay Regiment, Royal Ranger Regiment, Border Regiment

Maroon
10 Parachute Brigade

Sherwood Green
Grup Gerak Khas (Army Special Forces)

Cypress Green
Royal Intelligence Corps

Cambridge Blue
Army Air Corps

Black
Royal Armoured Corps

Red
Royal Military Police Corps

Dark Blue
other Army branches

text:
Royal Malaysian Navy

Colour
Wearer

Blue Black
Regular and reserve force personnel

Magenta
PASKAL (Navy Special Forces)

text:
Royal Malaysian Air Force

Colour

Wearer

Blue Black
Regular, reserve force and RMAF Provosts personnels

Sky Blue
PASKAU (Air Force Special Forces)

Red
Close Escort Team (VIP Protection)

text: Maldives[edit]

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

text:
Maroon — Special Forces
Red — Military Police
Green — Marines and other support units
Black — Parade Beret for Coast Guard

text: Mali[edit]

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

text:
Maroon — Paratroopers.
Brown — Republican Guard.
Green — Infantry and other army units.
Dark blue — Air Force
Red — Paratroopers of the 33rd regiment who double as the presidential guard.

text: Mexico[edit]

text: In the Mexican Army, the beret is worn by:

text:
Green - Special Forces
Maroon — Paratroopers (formerly purple, circa 1980s)
Black — Presidential Guards Corps
Steel Grey — Armor
Brown - Airmobile Units

text: In the Mexican Navy:

text: Black — Paratroopers, Navy Special Forces.

text: 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.

text: Mongolia[edit]

text: 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.

text: 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.

text:
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)

text: Morocco[edit]

text: 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.

text:
Lime Green - Armed Forces (Les Forces armees royales), including Paratroopers
Red       - Royal Guard (La garde royale)
Blue      - Royal Moroccan air force
Dark BLue - The Air Force and Security Forces
UN Blue   - Moroccan-United Nations troops Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions
Brown     - Moroccan Auxiliary troops

text: Mozambique[edit]

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

text:
Brown — Army general use
Red — Commandos
Olive Green - Forcas Especiais (Special Forces)
Navy blue — Fuzileiros (Marines)

text: Nepal[edit]

text:
Deep Green: Nepalese Army
Maroon: Nepal Police
Grey: Armed Police Force

text: Netherlands[edit]

text: 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.

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

text: Navy:

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

text: Army:

text:
Green (The Green Beret) — Commandos of the Korps Commandotroepen
Maroon (The Red Beret) — Airmobile troops of the 11 Air Manoeuvre Brigade "11 Luchtmobiele Brigade" (Air Assault)
Black — Armour and Cavalry
Petrol (blue-green) — Royal Netherlands Army

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

text: Grey-blue — Royal Netherlands Air Force

text: Military Police:

text: Bright blue — with emblem Koninklijke Marechaussee (Royal Gendarmerie)

text: Other:

text:
UN blue — All military members of the United Nations
Brick red — All military members of the Multinational Force and Observers
Dark blue — 1(GE/NL)Corps (Eerste Duits-Nederlandse Legerkorps)

text: 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 `tecnical 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.

text:
Infantry — Red, except:
Grenadier Guards — Red with blue border
Rifle Guards — Green with yellow border
Fusilier Guards — Orange with blue border
Regiment van Heutsz — Black with orange border
Limburg Rifles Regiment — Green with maroon border
Korps Commandotroepen — Black with dark green border
Cavalry (Armour) — Blue with white, red or orange border
Cavalry (Reconnaissance) — Blue with black border
Artillery — Black with red border
Engineers — Brown
Signals — Blue with white border
Logistics — Yellow (obsolete since 2010)
Legal Affairs — Black with white border
Psychological and Sociological Service —  Red
Protestant Chaplains — Black
Catholic Chaplains — Blue
Jewish Chaplains — Black
Humanist Society Chaplains — Bright green
Hindu Chaplains — Bright blue
Troops in Initial Training — Red
Royal Military Academy Cadets — Red with yellow border
Physical Training Instructors — Blue
Technical Staff — Maroon

text: New Zealand[edit]

text: Royal New Zealand Navy -

text:
Dark blue - Military police
Dark blue/black - All other branches

text: New Zealand Army -

text: Pre 2002 beret colours -

text:
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
Donkey brown - New Zealand Special Air Service
Dark blue - All other corps

text: Post 2002 beret colours -

text:
Donkey brown - New Zealand Special Air Service
Dark blue - Royal New Zealand Military Police
Rifle green - All other corps

text: Royal New Zealand Air Force -

text: The RNZAF does not currently wear berets except for;

text: Dark blue - Military police

text: Nicaragua[edit]

text: The Nicaraguan Armed Forces wear berets in the following colours:

text: Berets in Nicaraguan Army:

text:
Green — Special Forces (COE)
Black - Generals of Staff´s Protection VIP

text: Berets in Nicaraguan Navy:

text: Dark Blue — Special Naval Forces

text: Nigeria[edit]

text: Dark Green — Army

text: Norway[edit]

text: 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:

text:
Royal blue — Brigade Nord (except cavalry troops, intelligence troops and military police)
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

text: 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:

text:
Green — Marinejegerkommandoen
Blue — Minedykkerkommandoen
Maroon — Kystjegerkommandoen
Red - Military Police

text: Pakistan[edit]

text:
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 (SSG)
Green with Red Plume - Pakistan Military Academy Cadets
Dark Blue - Worn by the General Staff officers (rank of Colonel and above) irrespective of their Regimental association.

text: Paraguay[edit]

text: The Paraguayan Armed Forces wear berets in the following colours:[26]

text: Berets in Paraguayan Army:

text:
Green — Paratroopers
Dark Blue - Presidential Guard[27]

text: Berets in Paraguayan Navy:

text: Camouflage — Special Naval Forces

text: Berets in Paraguayan Air Force:

text: Red - Air Force Infantry and Airborne personnel

text: Panama[edit]

text: Berets were widely worn by many units in the Panamanian Defense Force (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:

text:
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)

text: Philippines[edit]

text:
Philippine Army

Color
Wearer

Army green
Philippine Army Units, Special Operations Command

Olive drab
Special Forces

Olive green
Light Reaction Regiment

Black
1st Scout Ranger Regiment, Mechanized Infantry Division, Army units assigned to the Presidential Security Group

UN Blue
AFP personnel assigned to UN Peacekeeping Operations, Cadets of the Peacekeeping Operations Center

text:
Philippine Air Force

Color
Wearer

Dark Blue
Air Force Base Security personnel

Camouflage
Pararescue

Black
710th Special Operations Wing, Air Force units assigned to the Presidential Security Group

text: Poland[edit]

text:
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:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Armored troops, Navy, Military Unit Formoza (for field and work uniform)

Blue
7th Coastal Defense Brigade, Peacekeeping Missions Training Center

Brown
Territorial Defence (discontinued)

Olive Green
Territorial Defence (present)

Green
Army general use

Dark Green
Special Forces Command

Light Grey
Military Unit GROM (JW GROM)

Steel Grey
Air Force (no longer in use, replaced by camouflage side cap)

Maroon
Paratroopers

Scarlet Red
Military Police

text: Berets in other ministries:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Border Guards Naval Units, Firefighters (for service dress)

Light Green
Border Guards (no longer in use, replaced by camouflage cap)

Steel Grey
Border Guards Air Units

Sapphire
Government Protection Bureau (no longer in use) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Troops (disbanded)

Navy Blue
Police anti-terrorist units (SPAP)

text: The black beret is also the distinctive headgear of World War II veterans, particularly Armia Krajowa veterans.

text: The dress code of the Polish armed forces states than when not worn on the head or kept in a locker the beret should be placed under the left shoulder loop. This practice was discontinued due to introducing new field uniform (wz. 2010) with rank insignia placed on chest.

text: Portugal[edit]

text: 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.

text: The following colors of berets were or are still worn by the Portuguese Military and Paramilitary forces:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Green
Paratroopers

Brown
Caçadores Especiais in 1960-1962; Army general use since 1962

Black
Cavalry branch (except Cavalry Paratroopers) and Military Police since 1962; Provincial organization of volunteers and civil defence until 1975

Red
Commandos (worn unofficially by some units since 1966 and officially since 1974)

Moss green
Special Operations Forces

Blue
Navy general use

Dark blue
Marines

Light blue
Air Force Police

Dark green
Republican National Guard (GNR) general use since 2013

Yellow
Special Groups of Mozambique until 1975

Maroon
Paratrooper Special Groups until 1975

Camouflage
Guinea 3rd and 5th Commando and native caçadores companies (unofficial) in 1966-1968, Flechas until 1975

White
Volunteer Aerial Formations until 1975

Tan
GIPS (GNR rescue unit) until 2013 (still worn unofficially since then)

UN blue
Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

text: Rhodesia[edit]

text: Until the reconstitution Rhodesia as Zimbabwe ended their existence in 1980, the Rhodesian Security Forces wore the beret as the primary working dress and service dress headgear.  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.

text:
Dark Green   — Rhodesia Regiment, Rhodesian African Rifles
Tartan Green — Rhodesian Light Infantry (from 1964, when it became a commando battalion)
Sand         — Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS)
Brown        — Selous Scouts
Grey         — Grey's Scouts
Black        — Rhodesian Armoured Corps
Dark Blue    — those units without a distinctive beret
Blue-gray    — Rhodesian Air Force
Cherry Red — Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs (INTAF)
Bright Blue  — Psychological Operations
Maroon       — Medical Corps

text: Romania[edit]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Anti-air Artillery and Missiles, Artillery, Military Automobile Troops (automobilişti militari), Tanks, Communication and Informatics structures, Engineers, Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) Defense and Naval Forces

Green
Mountain Troops (or Mountain Hunters, Vânători de Munte), Special Operations Forces

Dark Blue
Military Justice, Romanian Gendarmerie (Jandarmeria Română)

Maroon
Paratroopers

Red
Military Music

Dark red (bordeaux red)
Military Medicine

Violet
Military Logistics, or administration (intendenţă)

Light Grey
Military Police

Light Blue
Air Force and Radar Troops (radiolocaţie)

Dark brown
Infantry

text: Russian Federation[edit]

text: In the Soviet Union berets were worn only by:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Naval Infantry, Tank Troops (only for coveralls), OMON Special Militia Units

Sky Blue
Airborne Troops

Raspberry
Airborne Troops (till 1969)

Green
103rd Airborne Division (subordinate to Border Guards)

Rust Red (orig. Krapovyi)
MVD Special Troops

text: 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).

text: The Soviet era beret color scheme detailed above (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.

text: In 2011 the Russian Defence Ministry authorised the wearing of berets by all non-naval military personnel as part of their field uniforms.

text: The current beret colour scheme is:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Naval Infantry (Russia), OMON and SOBR units of the National Guard of Russia, FSB counter-terrorist units

Sky Blue
Russian 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)

Cornflower Blue
Special Units of Federal Security Service, Federal Protective Service and Presidential Regiment

Light Green
Border Guard Service of Russia

Dark Green
Armed Forces reconnaissance units - soldiers are allowed to wear this beret after passing special tests

Olive
Russian Ground Forces standard beret, Strategic Missile Troops, Russian Aerospace Defence Forces, Russian Air Force, Russian Railway Troops

Orange
Ministry of Emergency Situations general issue berets

Rust Red (orig. Krapovyi)
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

Bright Red
Military Police (since 2010), Young Army Cadets National Movement

text: Saudi Arabia[edit]

text:
Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia

Colour
Worn by[28]

Olive Green
Royal Saudi Land Forces

Dark Blue
Royal Saudi Air Force

Black
Royal Saudi Navy

Dark Green
Royal Saudi Air Defense

Red
Military Police of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia

Maroon
Paratroopers Units and Special Security Forces

text: Senegal[edit]

text:
Tan/sand - Bataillon de Parachutistes (Army Parachute Battalion)
Brown - Bataillon de Commandos (Army Commando Battalion)
Black - Detachment Forces Speciales (Special Forces Detachment)
Orange - Groupement Mobil d'Intervention (Mobile Intervention Group)
Blue - Legion de Gendarmerie d'Intervention (Gendarmerie Intervention Unit)
Green - Compagnie Fusilier de Marine Comandos (COFUMACO)(Navy Marine Commandos)

text: Serbia[edit]

text: The Serbian Armed Forces was wearing berets in the following colours:

text:
Green — Army
Black — Military Police
Maroon — Special Forces
Steel blue — Air Force
Navy blue — Navy

text: With introduction of new M10 uniform and new regulations, berets are being replaced with garrison caps, remaining only with some branches worn in the following colours:

text:
Black — Military Police and Counter-terrorist units
Maroon — Special Forces
Light blue - Guard

text: Singapore[edit]

text: The Singapore Armed and Police Forces adopts the beret as their standard headgear. The different color divisions are as follows:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Olive Green
Infantry Regiment (Previously Dark Green)

Black
Armoured Regiment

Khaki
Guards

Red (Crimson)
Commandos

Red (Burgundy)
Police Tactical Unit

Dark Blue
Signals Formation, Artillery, Combat Engineers, Medical Corps, Transport and Logistics, Military Police, SAF Volunteer Corps, Navy, Singapore Police Force, Police Gurkha Contingent

Air Force Blue
Air Force

Light Grey
Public Transport Security Command

UN Blue
UN Peacekeeping Force

text: 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 enlisted men. Officers of the rank of colonel and above have a different cap-badge.

text:
National Cadet Corps (Land)- Green
National Cadet Corps (Air)- Blue
National Cadet Corps (Sea)- Black
National Police Cadet Corps- Dark Blue
National Civil Defence Cadet Corps- Black

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

text: Slovakia[edit]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
tank forces, army air defense

Green
units of high readiness, immediately reaction battalion

Dark Blue
military police

Maroon
paratrooper units,5.regiment of special assignment(airborne)

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

text: Slovenia[edit]

text:
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

text: South Africa[edit]

text: The South African Army wears the beret as its standard headgear. The different color divisions are as follows:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Armour, Intelligence

Dark Green
Infantry

Red
Military Police

Dark Blue
Artillery

Light blue
Logistics

Olive
Munnitions Corps

Light Maroon
Military Health Sevices

Beige
Signal Corps

Purple
Chaplain Corps

Orange
Human Resources, Mechanics

Maroon
Parachute Infantry, Special Forces

UN blue
Personnel serving with the United Nations on international peacekeeping missions

text: 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.

text: 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.

text: South Korea[edit]

text: Berets are worn by members of the Republic of Korea Army and some elite units of the South Korean Military, including:

text:
Black — Army Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command (with yellow backing), Reserve Officer Training Corps, KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army)
Dark Green — Army
Dark Blue - Air Force Military Police
Red — Air Force Combat Control Team (CCT)
Maroon — Air Force Special Air Rescue Team (SART)
Green — Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, Marine Corps armoured units
Grey — Navy UDT/SEAL Team (Naval Special Warfare Flotilla)
Camouflage — Army armoured units
reddish brown - Army aviation
UN Blue - United Nations peacekeepers

text: 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.

text: South Vietnam[edit]

text: American advisers assigned to these units wore the berets.[29]

text:
Red — Paratroopers
Green — Marines, LLDB
Maroon — Rangers
Black — Navy Junk Force
Black — Palace guards
Tan — political officers

text: Spain[edit]

text: The beret is used in the various armed forces of Spain. The colours used are:[30]

text:
Colour
Wearer

Black
Airborne Brigade (BRIPAC), Mechanized Division "Brunete", Air Force Police.

Maroon
1st King's Immemorial Infantry Regiment of AHQ.

Royal Blue
Royal Guard, Army Helicopters (FAMET).

Ash Grey
Ciberdefence Joint Command. [31]

Mustard
Military Emergencies Unit (UME).

Red
General Military Academy

Green
Mountain Brigade (Jefatura de Tropas de Montaña).

Dark Green
Special Operations units (MOE, UOE, EZAPAC).

Olive
Spanish Army general issue berets.

Brown
Military Police.

Tan
BRILCAN (Brigada de Infantería Ligera Canarias XVI).

Grey
BRILAT (Brigada de Infantería Ligera Galicia VII).

text: Sri Lanka[edit]

text:
Maroon — Army Commando Regiment
Black — Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, Army Special Forces Regiment, Navy Special Boat Squadron, Air Force Regiment Special Force
Commando Green - , Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment, Mechanized Infantry Regiment, Military Intelligence Corps, Sri Lanka Army Women Corps, Sri Lanka Rifle Corps, Special Task Force
Green - Gajaba Regiment (Infantry)
Blue - Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, The Gemunu Watch (Infantry) & All Other Ranks of Artillery, Engineers, Signals, Light Infantry & all Service Corps
Khaki - All Officers of Sri Lanka Artillery, Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Light Infantry, Service Corps, Corps Engineer Services, General Service Corps, Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Sri Lanka National Guard, Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps
Red - Military Police
Dark Blue - Sri Lanka Air Force

text: Sweden[edit]

text: The beret is used in the various armed forces of Sweden. The colours used are:[32]

text:
Color
Wearer

Dark blue
Generals in the army and amphibious corps, all other military units not assigned another beret color, except for the navy

Black
Life Guard Regiment (Infantry), Armored/mechanized Regiments, Land Warfare Center.

Rifle green
Life Guard Regiment (Cavalry), Air-mobile Battalion (LBB), ISTAR Battalion, Army Ranger Battalion, Lapland Ranger Regiment (Disbanded), Armed Forces Intelligence and Security Center, Life Guard Regiment (Military Police), Air Force Rangers

Commando green
Amphibious Corps

Maroon
Parachute Ranger

Khaki
Home Guard

Scarlet
Life Guard Regiment (Musicians)

Bright blue
Armed Forces Helicopter Wing

Olive green
Special Operations Group (SOG) (Special Forces)

UN blue
Military personnel in UN-service

Yellow
EU monitors etc.

text: Sudan[edit]

text: The beret is worn by all police and military personal.

text:
Maroon - Paratroops
Pink - special police

text: Switzerland[edit]

text: 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.

text: The colours used are:[33]

text:
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 (including paratroopers)
Blue — medical personnel
Dark red — logistics troops
Grey — military police
Light blue — troops on UN missions

text: Thailand[edit]

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

text:
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 (BPP)
Camouflage — Royal Thai Marine Corps and Navy SEALs
Navy Blue - Volunteer Defense Corps (VDC) Part of Department Of Provincial Administration (DOPA), Ministry of Interior

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

text: Togo[edit]

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

text:
Black — Armoured Corps.
Maroon — Para-Commando Regiment.
Green — Presidential Guard Commando Regiment.
Dark Blue - All other Arms and Corps

text: Turkey[edit]

text: The beret is used in the various armed forces of Turkey. The colours used are:[34]

text:
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.

text: United Arab Emirates[edit]

text: 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.[35]

text: Emirati military personnel may also choose to wear military camo coloured ghutra in a turban fashion in keeping with traditional Arabic attire.

text: The colours are as follows:

text:
Colour
Wearer

Blue
United Arab Emirates Navy

Green
Military recruit

Red
Military police

Sky Blue
United Arab Emirates Air Force

Maroon
Presidential Guard

Tan
United Arab Emirates Army and Medical Corps.

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text: 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 (see above[citation needed]) 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.

text: 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,[36] and the Royal Air Force Regiment adopted a blue-grey beret in 1943.[37] Later in the war, a rather baggier beret-like hat, called a General Service Cap, was issued to all ranks of the British Army (with RAC, parachute, commando, Scottish and Irish units excepted), to replace the earlier Field Service Cap.  The GS Cap was not popular, and after the war was replaced with a true beret.[38]

text: 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 (the Scots Guards and Irish Guards, however, wear berets, as frequently do the Royal Irish Regiment on operations). 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.

text: Beret Colours[edit]

text: The colours are as follows:

text:
Color
Wearer

Khaki
Foot Guards, Honourable Artillery Company, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, Royal Anglian Regiment, Royal Gibraltar Regiment, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, Royal Welsh, Yorkshire Regiment, Mercian Regiment, 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery Royal Artillery[39]

Light grey
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

Dark grey
Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps

Brown
King's Royal Hussars, Royal Wessex Yeomanry

Black
Royal Tank Regiment, Westminster Dragoons Squadron, Royal Yeomanry

Rifle green
The Rifles, Royal Gurkha Rifles, Small Arms School Corps, Essex Yeomanry

Maroon
Parachute Regiment, All ranks serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade other than in Army Air Corps Units

Beige
Special Air Service including attached troops who are not SAS-qualified

Emerald grey
Special Reconnaissance Regiment

Cambridge blue
Army Air Corps

Cypress green
Intelligence Corps

Scarlet
Royal Military Police

Green
Adjutant General's Corps (except Royal Military Police, who wear scarlet; Army Legal Services Branch, who wear black; and Military Provost Guard Service, and Educational and Training Services branch, who wear navy blue), Military Provost Guard Service

Dark blue
Generic: worn by all other Army units (except Scottish and Irish line infantry regiments), Royal Navy, Royal Marines who are not commando-qualified (and who wear the Royal Marines capbadge with red backing), Sea Cadet Corps

Commando green
Commando-qualified Royal Marines, Commando-qualified personnel of all services serving in 3 Commando Brigade, Special Boat Service

RAF blue grey
Royal Air Force (including RAF Regiment), Air Cadets (Combined Cadet Force and Air Training Corps[40])

UN Blue
Personnel serving with the United Nations on peacekeeping missions

White
When the Special Air Service was initially created white berets where authorised but were soon replaced by beige ones.  In 2004 the Royal Air Force Police were denied permission to wear a white beret.[41]

text: 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.

text: Other Adornments

text: Some Regiments and Corps wear a coloured backing behind the capbadge. These include:

text:
Foot Guards - Blue Red Blue patch (less the officers of the Scots Guards, who wear a patch of Royal Stewart tartan)
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' (only on dark blue beret worn by those who are not commando-qualified)
Royal Welsh Regiment and Mercian Regiment - Green badge outline and square respectively
Queen's Royal Lancers - Red Patch
Household Cavalry - Blue Red Blue patch
Yorkshire Regiment - Brunswick (British Racing) Green.
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards - Black patch (Worn in mourning for Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, who was their Colonel-in-Chief at the time of his murder)
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 (RWY) and D (RDY) wear a red flash between the black square and badge.

text: The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the only remaining independent fusilier regiment, wears a feather hackle on the beret. Other ranks of the Royal Welsh also wear hackles.

text: Members of the Royal Tank Regiment, 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery Royal Artillery,[42] 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.[43] 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.

text: Old Units

text: Former regiments and corps, now amalgamated:

text:
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 (Rifle) 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 (The Sirmoor 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 (other than officers in Inns of Court Regiment), 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 (now wear dark blue), officers in Inns of Court Regiment
Brown with a broad crimson headband and NO hat badge - 11th Hussars (PAO)

text: United States[edit]

text: 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.[44] 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.

text: "D" Troop 17th Cavalry were authorized a maroon beret in Vietnam.[45]

text: 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.

text: 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.[46]

text: In 1975 the 172nd Light Infantry Brigade at Fort Richardson & Fort Wainwright, Alaska wore Olive Drab Berets.

text: 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.

text: United States Army berets now use the following distinctive colors:

text:
US Army

Color
Wearer

Rifle green
Special Forces qualified soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) units

Tan
Soldiers assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment and Ranger Training Brigade

Maroon
Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), and non-SF qualified soldier attached to USASOC units

Brown
Soldiers assigned to one of the Security Force Assistance Brigades

Black
Worn by all soldiers with 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's discretion.[47]

text: 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.

text:
US Air Force

Color
Wearer

Black
Tactical Air Control Party (TACP), Air Liaison Officers (ALO), and Air Mobility Liaison Officers (AMLO)

Maroon
Combat Rescue Officers, Pararescuemen

Scarlet
Special Tactics Officers, Combat Controllers

Pewter Grey
Special Operations Weather Technician

Dark Blue
Security Forces, United States Air Force Academy First-Class Cadets & Basic Cadet Training cadre

Sage Green
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Specialists

Brown
Airmen assigned to units designated as Combat Aviation Advisors[48]

text: 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.[49] U.S. Navy SEAL teams serving in Vietnam wore camouflage berets in the field, the only beret somewhat standardized in the SEALs.

text: Uruguay[edit]

text:
Grey - Army 14th Parachute Battalion
Black - Police Coraceros Regiment
Green - Army 13th Armor Battalion (Combined Arms)

text: Vatican State[edit]

text: The Pontifical Swiss Guard wears large black berets.

text: Venezuela[edit]

text: 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:

text:
Venezuelan Army

Colour
Wearer

black
Venezuelan Army general issue berets; included, the comandos (Army special forces units).

green
Army Counter-insurgency troops (caribes).

red
311th Infantry Battalion "Simon Bolivar" (Army). Wears the red beret as the first and oldest active infantry battalion of the Army.

red
42nd Airborne Brigade (Army).

dark blue
Army Headquarters and Security Group (Lieutenant General Daniel Florencio O´Leary Headquarters Battalion).

text:
Venezuelan Navy

Colour
Wearer

black
Venezuelan Marine Corps general issue berets (since 2009).

text:
Venezuelan Air Force

Colour
Wearer

blue
Venezuelan Air Force Infantry units (Infantería Aérea) and Air Force Police personnel.

black
20nd Special Forces Group (since 2016).[50][51][52]

text:
Venezuelan National Guard

Colour
Wearer

maroon
Venezuelan National Guard general issue berets.

text:
Berets in inter-service units

Colour
Wearer

red
Presidential Honor Guard Brigade (armed forces joint unit).

red
Armed Forces General Headquarters (Minister Of Defence troops (Caracas Battalion), armed forces joint unit).

text: Note: Before the conversion to the red berets, the Caracas Battalion wore dark blue berets similar to those used by the O'Leary Battalion.

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

text: Vietnam[edit]

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

text:
Blue - Enlisted Seamen
Black - Officers and NCOs
Dark Blue - Marine Commandos and Naval Infantrymen

text: During the celebration of the 40th Reunification Day, the People's Army of Vietnam presented new models of berets:

text:
Green and camouflaged berets are worn by Infantry Reconnaissance troopers and Ground Commandos respectively.
Red berets are worn by Airborne Forces.

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

text: Zambia[edit]

text:
Black -  Armoured troops
Green – Zambia rifles (Infantry)
Maroon - Paracommando
Scarlet - Military police
Dark Blue - worn by all other Army units
Khaki  -  colonels and general officers with combat uniform
Grey-blue  - Air Force personnel
Khaki-Black – Zambia National Service personnel

text: Zimbabwe[edit]

text:
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

text: International forces[edit]

text: United Nations[edit]

text: UN blue: United Nations peacekeeping forces wear a light blue beret (in lieu of a helmet or bush hat).

text: Multinational Force and Observers[edit]

text: Terracotta: All military members of the Multinational Force and Observers wear a terracotta-colored beret or bush hat in lieu of their normal headgear.

text: African Union[edit]

text: Lime or light green: African Union (AU) peacekeeping forces wear a lime or light green beret.  AU troops were recently[when?] 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.[53]

text: Camouflage berets[edit]

text: A camouflage beret is a beret 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.

text: History[edit]

text: 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.

text: 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".

text: Not exactly camouflage but an early example is the Jungle Beret issued to the Australian Army during WW2.[54][55][56]

text: Users[edit]

text:
Argentina - Jungle Troops (Brigada de Monte XII "General Manuel Obligado")[57]
 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
 South Africa - 32 Buffalo Battalion
 South Korea - Army armoured units
 Thailand - Royal Thai Marine Corps and Navy SEALs