Tan beret

COL Richard D. Clarke, U.S. Army, Commanding Officer of the 75th Ranger Regiment wearing the tan beret. In the U.S. armed forces, the tan beret may be worn only by the Rangers.

The tan beret has been adopted as official headdress by several special operations forces as a symbol of their unique capabilities.

Australian Army

See: Australian Special Air Service Regiment.

British Army

The sand-coloured beret of the Special Air Service is officially designated the beige beret, since it is made from material of this colour. When the SAS was re-raised in 1947 an attempt was made to match the original sand coloured cloth beret from those still in the possession of veterans. This proved impossible to do from existing approved cloth colour stocks held by the British authorities, so, as a compromise and with no authorisation for expenditure on a new colour dye the nearest acceptable colour was selected and approved by an all ranks committee of the Regimental Association. Personnel attached to the Regiment also wear this beret but with their own badges in accordance with usual British practice.

Canadian Forces

Members of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) wear the tan beret, regardless of whether they are Navy, Army, or Air Force. This includes members of Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR), the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU) and 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron. The standard berets of the Canadian Navy, Army, and Air Force are black, green, and blue, respectively. The Canadian Forces search and rescue technicians wear the distinctive orange beret. Military Police wear a scarlet beret, all personnel part of an airborne unit wear maroon and those members attached to an armoured regiment are issued black berets as part of their uniform.

French Army

Brown berets were worn by fortress troops assigned to the Maginot Line during the interwar period of the 1920s through the invasion of 1940. It was also later worn by tirailleur units of the Colonial Army in lieu of the Bonnet de Police.

Italian Army

Tan berets is worn by the 17º Stormo Incursori, the raiders corp of Italian Air Force. Its primary missions are: raid on aeronautical compounds, Forward Air Control, Combat Controlling, and Combat Search and Rescue. Its origins are in the A.D.R.A Arditi Distruttori Regia Aeronautica (Air Force Brave Destroyers), a corp of WW2. They were used in not well known missions against bridges and allied airfields in north-Africa after the fall of Tunisia. The only well-known mission reported the destruction with explosive charges of 25 B-17 and the killing of 50 bomber crew members.

New Zealand Army

The "sand beret" is awarded to NZSAS troopers who successfully pass the arduous and very intensive selection course. Desrcibed by candidates as "mental and physical torture", the sand-coloured beret and blue belt is awarded to personnel who pass the nine month cycle. NZSAS have less than a 10% pass rate for there selection courseSee: Special Air Service of New Zealand.

Norwegian Army

The 2nd Battalion of the Norwegian Army Brigade Nord (North Brigade) uses a sand-coloured beret. However they are not considered special forces, as their role is mechanized infantry

See: Norwegian Army 2nd Battalion.

Royal Malaysia Police

The 69 Commando special force of Royal Malaysia Police uses a sand-coloured beret which honoured by the British 22 SAS since 1969. The 69 Commando unit is only one security forces organisation in Malaysia wearing that beret.

See: Pasukan Gerakan Khas.

Singapore Army

Prior to 1979, all Guardsmen worn the standard army green berets as official headgear. Together with the presentation of a newly designed Cap Badge Backing on the 6th of April 1979, as well as the issuing of the distinctive Khaki berets on the 9th of June 1994, the special nature of Guardsmen in the Singapore Armed Forces were recognised.

Support personnel attached to Guards units continue to wear their parent unit's designated berets coupled with the Guards cap badge backing.

For detailed background, see Singapore Guards.

Spanish Army

Spanish Light Infantry Brigade "CANARIAS XVI" uses a sand-coloured beret since April 2011. The BRILCAN, directly subordinated to Canarias General Command, possesses preparation for the aeromobilidad, combat in population and for the operations in the desert within the framework of the Rapid Action Force that they justify the color of his beret.

See: Brigada de Infantería Ligera CANARIAS XVI.

Swedish Army

The Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet) wears a tan beret.

United States Army

An olive drab beret was worn by Alaska's 172nd Infantry Brigade from 1973 to 1979; the 1st Battalion, 60th Infantry wore theirs with a light blue flash. On June 14, 2001 the U.S. Army Rangers assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment were authorized to wear a distinctive tan beret to replace the black berets that had become the army-wide standard.

See also

Other military berets by color:

• Black beret
• Green beret
• Maroon beret
• Red beret