A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into an operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World War II for troop distribution and transportation. Paratroopers are often used in surprise attacks, to seize strategic objectives such as airfields or bridges.
The Commandos Marine are the Special Operation Forces (SOF) of the French Navy. The Commandos Marine are nicknamed Bérets Verts. They operate under the Naval Riflemen and Special Operations Forces Command (FORFUSCO) and form part of the French Special Operations Command.
The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of the Second World War. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF who serve within 3 Commando Brigade and who have passed the All Arms Commando Course.
A parachutist badge is a military badge awarded by the armed forces of many states to soldiers who receive the proper parachute training and accomplish the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was the first to introduce such an award.
The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces. The United States Coast Guard is the only branch that does not issue its own Parachutist Badge, but its members are authorized to receive the Parachutist Badges of other services in accordance with their prescribed requirements. The DoD military services are all awarded the same Basic Parachutist Badge. The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force issue the same Senior and Master Parachutist Badges while the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps issue the Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Badge to advanced parachutists. The majority of the services earn their Basic Parachutist Badge through the U.S. Army Airborne School.
The Parachute Regiment is an airborne forces and special forces regiment of the Indian Army.
The 10th Parachute Brigade, commonly known as 10 Para, is an elite brigade-sized airborne unit within the Malaysian Army tasked with being rapidly deployed inside or outside the boundaries of Malaysia. 10 Para is the key element of the Rapid Deployment Force.
The 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is one of three regiments in the French Army Special Forces Command.
The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" Browning, commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. It was first worn by the Parachute Regiment in action in North Africa during November 1942. Although coloured maroon, the beret of the British Parachute Regiment is often called the "red beret."
The 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne regiment of the French Army created in 1947. The regiment is heir to the traditions of the 2nd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion 2eB.C.C.P. As of 2008, the regiment is stationed at Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
The Special Forces Group is the special forces unit in the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces.
The Special Operations Regiment, formerly the Light Brigade, is a Regiment of the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Its headquarters is located in Marche-en-Famenne. Known until 3 July 2018 as the Light Brigade the regiment is Belgium's special operations and rapid response unit.
The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.
The 5th Special Air Service was an elite airborne unit during World War II. It consisted entirely of Belgian volunteers. It saw action as part of the SAS Brigade in Normandy, Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands and (Germany). Initially trained in sabotage and intelligence gathering, they converted to motorized reconnaissance on armored jeeps. They were the first Allied unit to set foot onto Belgian soil and the first to cross the Siegfried line, albeit accidentally.
Berets have been a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world since the mid-20th century. Military berets are usually pushed to the right to free the shoulder that bears the rifle on most soldiers, but the armies of some countries, mostly within Europe, South America and Asia have influenced the push to the left.
The Special Operations Regiment is an elite fighting force in the Belgian Land Component, consisting of two paracommando battalion’s, the Special Forces Group and a support unit of the Communication & Informationsystems Group (CIS). Known until 2003 as the Para-Commando Brigade, and later as the Light Brigade. On 3 July 2018, the Light Brigade transformed into the Special Operations Regiment.
The 1st Parachute Battalion or 1 PARA was a military formation of the Belgian Army and part of the Paracommando Brigade from 1946–2011. Its regimental traditions, including its badge and motto, were heavily influenced by the experience of many of its personnel in British SAS during the Second World War.
The 2nd Commando Battalion is a military formation of the Belgian Armed Forces and part of the 'Special Operations Regiment'. Its regimental traditions, including the name "Commando" and the green beret, were adopted from the Belgian soldiers who served in No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando during the Second World War.
The 3rd Parachute Battalion is a military formation of the Belgian Armed Forces and part of the Special Operations Regiment. It carries on the regimental traditions of the Belgian Korean War volunteers.
The Namibian Special Forces is a special operations command of the Namibian Defence Force responsible for special forces and special operations capable units. The command consists of Army commandos, Army Airborne paratroopers and the Marine Corps amphibious special operations unit. The Army commandos specialise in airborne and land borne insertion while the Marine Corps amphibious special operations unit specialise in small-unit maritime operations that originate from a river, ocean, swamp and delta. The army units receive training assistance from former South African Special Forces (Recces) and the marine corps from the Brazilian Marine Corps. The units regularly participate in Southern African Development Community (SADC) special forces exercises.
