The red beret is a

military beret Troops began wearing berets as a part of the headgear of military uniforms in some European countries during the 19th century; since the mid-20th century, they have become a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world. Mil ...

worn by many

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

, paramilitary,

commando 40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations forc ...

, and

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

forces and should not be confused with the maroon beret worn by airborne troops all around the world.

Military police

Red berets are worn by the military police of many

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

militaries. * Military Police (Russia) - Russian Federation * Royal Military Police – Provost branch of the British Army * Royal Australian Corps of Military Police * Corps of Military Police – India * Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police *

Canadian Forces Military Police The Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP; french: Groupe de la Police militaire des Forces canadiennes) provide police, security and operational support services to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND) wor ...

MH Katonai Rendészeti Központ (MH KRK) MH or mH may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Malaysia Airlines, by IATA airline designator * Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð, a gymnasium in Reykjavík, Iceland * Miami Heat, an NBA basketball team Places * Mahalle, (abbreviated mh ...

- Hungarian Defence Forces Military Police Center * Feldjäger – Military Police of the German ''

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

'' * Royal Military Police – Malaysian Military Police *

Póilíní Airm The Military Police Corps (MP) ( ga, Cór Póiliní an Airm, ''PA'') is the corps of the Irish Defence Forces responsible for the provision of policing service personnel and providing a military police presence to forces while on exercise and ...

– Irish Military Police Corps (Ireland) * Danish Military Police * Military Police – Kuwait Army * Namibian Defence Force Military Police * Royal Military Police – Jordan Armed Forces * Sõjaväepolitsei - Estonian Defence Forces * Militārā policija - Latvian National Armed Forces * Karo policija - Lithuanian Armed Forces * Military Police - United Arab Emirates Army * Military Police - Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF)

Commando forces

MMEA STAR with Red Beret during 57th NDP

Special Forces Command (Cambodia) The Special Forces Command ( km, បញ្ជាការដ្ឋានទ័ពពិសេស), previously known as the 911th Special Forces Regiment until July 2020, is the special forces unit of the Royal Cambodian Army. Most of its commandos ...

– The Royal Cambodian Special Commando Force * Angolan Armed Forces Commandos – guerrilla and counter-guerrilla special operations force * Kopassus – Indonesian Army Special Forces Commandos * KOPASKA – Indonesian Special Naval Frogmen Command * Mozambique Special Forces (Commandos) – guerrilla and counter-guerrilla special operations force * Portuguese Army Commandos – guerrilla and counter-guerrilla special operations force * Commandos Formation, Singapore Army *

Special Brigade Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

– Serbian Special Forces * Lebanese Commando Regiment – Lebanese special forces regiment tasked with multiple roles * Special Task and Rescue – Malaysian coast guard counter-terrorist special operations force * Commando Parachute Group – French Commando Parachute Regiment * Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment – One of two Special Operations Forces of the Sri Lanka Army. *

4th Rapid Deployment Brigade (Czech Republic) The 4th (Czech) Rapid Deployment Brigade (4. brigáda rychlého nasazení) is a brigade of the Army of the Czech Republic. It is assigned to the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. Units from the brigade have deployed as part of KFOR, ISAF and EUTM ...

– One of two Special Operations Forces of the army of the Czech Republic * 601st Special Forces Group – The most elite unit of the Czech army

Paramilitary forces

* Special units of the Internal Troops of the Russian MVD *

JSO (Special Operations Unit) Unit for Special Operations ( sr, Јединица за специјалне операције, Jedinica za specijalne operacije; abbr. ЈСО or JSO) or Special Operations Unit, also known as Red Berets (by berets; sr, Црвене берет ...

of Serbia *

Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs The Ministry of Internal Affairs, commonly referred to as INTAF (or Intaf), was a cabinet ministry of the Rhodesian government. One of Rhodesia's most important governmental departments, it was responsible for the welfare and development of the ...

( Intaf) in the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three forc ...

General Service Unit The General Service Unit (GSU) is a paramilitary wing in the Kenya Police Service, consisting of highly trained police officers, transported by seven dedicated Cessnas and three Bell helicopters. Having been in existence since 1948, the GSU ha ...

of Kenya * Ulster Resistance of Northern Ireland

Other military units

The following military units wear red berets: * The Saudi Arabian National Guard * The Special Services Group of the Pakistan Army. * Support troops in the German

(light red – called coral red, maroon only for airborne troops) * Special Forces Battalion "Wolves" of North Macedonia * The Austrian Army Guard battalion * Turkish Army's special forces * United States Air Force Combat Controller * United States Air Force Special Tactics Officer *

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Flying Rifle Drill Team (Senior Drill Master only) *

Syrian Republican Guard The Syrian Republican Guard ( ar, الْحَرَسُ الْجُمْهُورِيُّ, ''al-Ḥaras al-Jumhūriyy''), also known as the Presidential Guard, is an elite 25,000 man mechanized division, although it may actually approach corps size wi ...

* The 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade and 601st Special Forces Group of the Army of the Czech Republic * The Republican Guard in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * The Swedish 32nd Intelligence Battalion * The Artillery Group of the Swiss Armed Forces * Military Police, Artillery and Anti Aircraft Artillery of the Hungarian Defence Forces The following military units formerly wore red berets: * The

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalions of the

27th Canadian Infantry Brigade The 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade (27CIBG) was an Active Force infantry brigade created on May 4, 1951, for service in West Germany. The brigade sailed to Rotterdam in November and December of that year. It was posted near Hanover and provided co ...

in West Germany * The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment of Canada, * The Vietnamese Airborne Division (Mũ Đỏ Nhảy Dù) of the Republic of Vietnam *

40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger The 40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger ( en, 40th Air Assault Battalion) was the only airborne infantry formation of the National People's Army, formed in 1962. The battalion was based in Prora on Rügen island (1962–82) and later ne ...

of the former German Democratic Republic's Nationale Volksarmee. * The

4th Guards Brigade (Croatia) 4th Guards Brigade ( Croatian: Četvrta gardijska brigada) was a brigade of the Croatian Army which took part in the Croatian War of Independence. It was one of the best-known units in the war, and it was active until a 2008 reorganization when ...

(called "The Spiders", 'Pauci')

Police forces

Ertzaina The (, en, Public Guard or ''People's Guard''), is the autonomous police force for the Basque Country, largely replacing the Spanish Policía Nacional (National Police) and Guardia Civil (Civil Guard). An Ertzaintza member is called an ' ...

– the Police force of the

Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map) * French Basque Country o ...

* Policía Foral – the Police force of Navarre * Federal Reserve Unit of the Royal Malaysia Police * Cacciatori of the Carabinieri – in English "Hunters", the Italian

Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

special unit operating in Calabria * Special Operations Command of the Singapore Police Force * Dog unit of the Public Security Police,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

Carlists

The red beret was worn as a distinguishing device by

Carlist Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – o ...

Guías de Navarra (Navarre Guides) soldiers in the First Carlist War, encouraged by their commander Tomás de Zumalacárregui. Regular Carlists wore a black beret. The red beret became widespread amongst the Carlists in the Second Carlist War, it later became an emblem of Carlists in general, often with a yellow pom pom or tassel.p.32 MacClancy, Jeremy ''The Decline of Carlism'' University of Nevada Press, 2000 See also the Requetés, (Spanish:Hunting callers) a type of volunteer unit during the Spanish Civil War. The red beret was also worn by the Chapelgorris (Spanish:Red caps) who fought against the Carlists in the First Carlist War.

Non-military

* Guardian Angels, international volunteer organization * Cadets in the California Cadet Corps who have completed survival training are authorized to wear a red beret with a flash representing their brigade. * Boy Scouts of America * Cadets in the Young Army Cadets National Movement Russia * ORB, a group within Doctor Steel's Army of Toy Soldiers fan club * ''Soldier of Fortune'' magazine uses a red beret as their logo. * The Economic Freedom Fighters, a South African political party, have adopted the red beret as one of their symbols. *

People Power, Our Power The People Power, Our Power movement (also known as the People Power Movement) is a resistance pressure group in Uganda. It is led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, who is the MP for Kyadondo East constituency. The movement se ...

Political Pressure Group in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

led by Bobi Wine

Native American Veteran Organizations

* The

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police br ...

, Native American Indians whom were former U.S. military veterans, have adopted the use of the red beret as one of their Native warrior society symbols back in 1970. The Red Beret is also in use by Native American warrior societies and tribal government police, Law Enforcement and by members and veterans of Native American organizations such as the TIMB Taino Indian Movement of Boriken (Puerto Rico).

In popular culture

Films

* '' The Red Beret'' (1953) * '' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968) * ''

The Red Berets ''Sette baschi rossi'' also known as ''The Red Berets'', ''Seven Red Berets'' and ''Congo Hell'' is a 1969 Italian/West German co-production, filmed in Ethiopia, about a fictional group of mercenaries. The film was produced and directed by screen ...

'' (1968) * '' The Wild Geese'' (1978) * '' Taps (film)'' (1981) – worn by B Company, Valley Forge Military Academy and College treated as B Company of Bunker Hill Military Academy, led by Tom Cruise as Cadet Captain David Shawn in the film.

Comic books

Mlle. Marie Mademoiselle Marie (often shortened to Mlle. Marie) is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in ''Star Spangled War Stories'' #84 (August 1959), and was created by Robert Kanig ...

* '' Fightin' 5'' * Percy Pinkerton

Others

* Mirai Sentai Timeranger (2000-2001) – worn by Naoto Takizawa, played by Shinji Kasahara, as the leader of the City Guardians. * Power Rangers Time Force (2001) – worn by Eric Myers, played by Daniel Southworth, as the leader of the Silver Guardians.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Beret Military uniforms Hats Berets