Tan beret
Encyclopedia
British Army
The sand-coloured beret of the Special Air ServiceSpecial Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
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 CANSOFCOM wear the tan beret, regardless of whether they are Army, Navy or Air Force. This includes members of Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2)Joint Task Force 2
Joint Task Force 2 is an elite Special Operations Force of the Canadian Armed Forces primarily tasked with counter-terrorism operations...
and the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR)
Canadian Special Operations Regiment
The Canadian Special Operations Regiment is a battalion-sized, high-readiness special operations unit part of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command...
. Members of the Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Company
Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Company
The Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit of the Canadian Forces was created "to provide timely and agile broad-based CBRN support to the Government of Canada in order to prevent, control and mitigate CBRN threats to Canada, Canadians and Canadian interests." It is a sub-unit of the Joint...
and 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron also wear the tan beret. The standard berets of the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force are green, black and blue, respectively. The Canadian Forces SARTECH 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 LineMaginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
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 Incursori17º Stormo Incursori
The 17º Stormo Incursori is the Italian Air Force Special Forces unit. It is the younger special force created in Italy. It is based in Furbara, near Rome and part of the Comando interforze per le Operazioni delle Forze Speciali...
, 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 ZealandSpecial Air Service of New Zealand
The New Zealand Special Air Service was formed on 7 July 1955 and is a special forces unit of the New Zealand Army modelled on the British Special Air Service . The New Zealand Government states that NZ SAS is the "premier combat unit of the New Zealand Defence Force". Its key roles are to...
.
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 infantrySee: Norwegian Army 2nd Battalion
Norwegian Army 2nd Battalion
2nd Battalion is an infantry unit of the Norwegian Army, based at camp Skjold in Troms county in Northern Norway. It serves in the mechanized infantry role as part of Brigade Nord; the battalion is one of three that Norwegian battalions performing this role, along with being Telemark Battalion and...
.
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
Pasukan Gerakan Khas
The Pasukan Gerakan Khas is an elite high-profile counter-terrorism and special operations tactical unit of the Royal Malaysia Police...
.
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
Singapore Guards
In the Singapore Armed Forces, the Guards are an elite infantry formation specializing in rapid deployment. Guards are known as elite heliborne troopers. They are well trained in heliborne operations and specialist combat skills that give them an added combat edge...
.
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.
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 beretMilitary beretBerets have been a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world since the mid-20th century. Military berets are usually pushed to the right to free the shoulder that bears the rifle on most soldiers, but the armies of some European countries have influenced the push to the...
s by color: Black beretBlack beretThe black beret is a type of headgear commonly worn by armoured forces around the world including the British Army's Royal Tank Regiment , The Canadian Forces's Royal Canadian Armoured Corps , and The Australian Army's Royal Australian Armoured Corps among others...
, green beretGreen beretThe green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of World War II. It is still worn with pride by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course and any member of the British Military who has passed the All Arms Commando Course.There are certain other military...
, maroon beretMaroon beretThe maroon beret is a military beret and has been an international symbol of elite airborne forces since it was chosen for British airborne forces in World War II. This distinctive head dress was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of General Frederick Browning, commander of the British...
, USAF Security Forces