Red beret

Last updated September 10, 2025

The red beret is a military beret worn by many artillery, military police, paramilitary, commando, and police forces and should not be confused with the maroon beret worn by airborne troops all around the world.

Artillery

Red berets are worn by the artillery units of Germany, Hungary, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Military police

Scarlet berets are worn by the military police of many NATO and Commonwealth of Nations militaries.

Military Police (Ukraine) – Ukrainian Military Law-Enforcement Service
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
MH Katonai Rendészeti Központ (MH KRK) - Hungarian Defence Forces Military Police Center
Feldjäger – Military Police of the German Bundeswehr
Royal Military Police – Malaysian Military Police
Póilíní Airm – 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^[1]
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)
Żandarmeria wojskowa - Military Gendarmerie (Poland)

Commando forces

Special Forces Command (Cambodia) – 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
Special Brigade – 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.
43rd Airborne Regiment – Airborne infantry regiment of the commando type of the Army of the Czech Republic
601st Special Forces Group – The most elite unit of the Czech army
Commandos - Commando unit of the Singapore Army

Paramilitary forces

Special units of the Internal Troops of the Russian MVD
JSO (Special Operations Unit) of Serbia^[2]
Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Intaf) in the Rhodesian Bush War
General Service Unit (G.S.U.) of Kenya
Ulster Resistance of Northern Ireland

Other military units

A U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Officer participating in a unit ceremony wearing his red beret

The following military units wear red berets:

Parachute units of the Argentinean Army, including members not qualified as paratroopers.
The Saudi Arabian National Guard.
The Special Services Group of the Pakistan Army.
Support troops in the German Bundeswehr (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 Army airborne units (including Special Forces units in the Army National Guard).
United States Navy Flying Rifle Drill Team (Senior Drill Master only).
Syrian Republican Guard.
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.
Swedish Armed Forces Music Corps.
All Artillery units of the Swiss Armed Forces.
Military Police, Artillery and Anti Aircraft Artillery of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
The Parachute Riflemen Brigade of Mexico.

The following military units formerly wore red berets:

The 1st and 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalions of the 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade 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 of the former German Democratic Republic's Nationale Volksarmee.
The 4th Guards Brigade (Croatia) (called "The Spiders", 'Pauci')

Police forces

Ertzaina – the Police force of the Basque Country
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 special unit operating in Calabria
Special Operations Command of the Singapore Police Force
Dog unit of the Public Security Police, Portugal
Berkut (special police force) – was the Ukrainian riot police (1992 – 2014)

Carlists

The red beret was worn as a distinguishing device by Carlist 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.^[3] 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 Political Pressure Group in Uganda led by Bobi Wine

Native American Veteran Organizations

The American Indian Movement, 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 (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
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.
Gundam Build Divers (2018) - the headpiece of the GH-001RB Grimoire Red Beret, piloted by Rommel.
Worn by Cammy, a character from Capcom’s Street Fighter video game franchise.

Notes

↑ Military Police requests rights to process traffic violators (in Estonian)
↑ Time (magazine)
↑ p.32 MacClancy, Jeremy The Decline of Carlism University of Nevada Press, 2000

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[1] Military Police requests rights to process traffic violators (in Estonian)

[2] Time (magazine)

[3] .32 MacClancy, Jeremy The Decline of Carlism University of Nevada Press, 2000

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