United States military beret flash

Wear of the beret flash in the US military
Army NCOs wearing rifle–green berets with organizational beret flashes from (right to left) 1st, 5th, 7th, and 10th Special Forces Groups bearing the 1st Special Forces Regiment DUI
An Army warrant officer wearing maroon beret with 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Beret Flash bearing polished metal Chief Warrant Officer Two rank insignia
An Army officer wearing tan beret with 75th Ranger Regiment Beret Flash bearing polished metal lieutenant colonel rank insignia
An Army officer wearing black beret with Department of the Army Beret Flash bearing polished medal Chaplain (Christianity) Branch Insignia
An Air Force officer wearing navy-blue beret with Security Forces Officer Beret Flash bearing polished medal second lieutenant rank insignia
An Air Force officer wearing black beret with TACP Beret Flash and Crest bearing miniature polished metal captain rank insignia
An Air Force airman wearing gray beret with Combat Weather Team Beret Flash and Crest
An Air Force officer and Army NCO wearing maroon berets with Joint Communications Support Element Beret Flash, the officer affixing his polished metal colonel rank insignia and the NCO her unit's DUI

In the United States (US) military, a beret flash is a shield-shaped embroidered cloth that is typically 2.25 in (5.72 cm) tall and 1.875 in (4.76 cm) wide with a semi–circular base that is attached to a stiffener backing of a military beret.[1][2][3] These flashes—a British English word for a colorful cloth patch attached to military headgear—are worn over the left eye with the excess cloth of the beret shaped, folded, and pulled over the right ear giving it a distinctive appearance.[1][2][4]

Army soldiers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) affix their distinctive unit insignia (DUI), regimental distinctive insignia (when no DUI is authorized), Sergeant Major of the Army collar insignia (when assigned), or Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff collar insignia (when assigned) to the center of their beret flash.[1][5] Army warrant officers and commissioned officers affix their polished metal rank insignia to the center of their beret flash while general officer's may choose to affix regular or miniature polished metal rank insignia.[1] To better distinguish them from other Army personnel, Army chaplains affix their polished metal branch insignia to the center of their beret flash.[1] Air Force commissioned officers who are in the security forces or are weather parachutists wear their beret flash in the same manner as the Army while tactical air control party (TACP) officers attach a miniature version of their polished metal rank insignia below the TACP Crest on the TACP Beret Flash.[4][6] Other Air Force airmen and NCOs assigned to an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) authorized to wear a military beret with a beret flash will affix either their beret flash or beret flash with crest, depending on the AFSC.[4] Joint beret flashes—such as those worn by the Joint Communications Support Element—are worn by all who are assigned, given their uniform regulations allow, and will wear them in the manner prescribed by the joint unit.[7]

The design of all US Department of Defense (DoD) beret flashes are created and/or approved by The Institute of Heraldry, Department of the Army.[8] When a requesting organization is entitled to have its own beret flash, the institute will conduct research into the requesting organization's heraldry, as well as design suggestions from the requesting organization, in the creation of a unit or specialty beret flash.[9][10] Leveraging geometrical divisions, shapes, and colors a heraldic artist will create a design that will represent the history and mission of the requesting organization.[9][10] Once the organization agrees upon a design, the institute will authorize the creation of the new beret flash and will establish manufacturing instructions for the companies authorized to produce heraldic materials for the DoD.[9][10][11][12] The institute will also monitor the production of the new beret flash to ensure quality and accuracy of the design is maintained.[9][10][11]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Department of the Army Pamphlet 670–1, Uniform and Insignia Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia", Department of the Army, dated 26 January 2021, last accessed 6 December 2022 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b Beret Insignia of the U.S. Army, by William A Hudspeath, dated 1987, ASIN B06XD7DSY9
  3. ^ "AR 670–1 1981 (OBSOLETE):Wear and appearance of Army uniforms and insignia", Department of the Army via Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library, dated 1 November 1981, last accessed 21 November 2020
  4. ^ a b c "Department of the Air Force Instruction 36-2903: Dress and Personal Appearance of United States Air Force and United States Space Force Personnel", US Department of the Air Force, dated 28 February 2023, last accessed 7 March 2023
  5. ^ "11th ABN DIV vets pass unit legacy to newly minted 'Arctic Angels'", Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, by Derrick Crawford, dated 19 July 2022, last accessed 9 July 2023
  6. ^ "First African-American Female Grey Beret", 93rd Air-Ground Operations Wing, by 1st Lt Katie Tamesis, dated 31 March 2022, last accessed 7 March 2023
  7. ^ "Joint Communications Support Element–Government Organization", official Facebook page, last accessed 20 January 2021
  8. ^ "Army Regulation 670–1 (2021), Uniform and Insignia Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia", Department of the Army, dated 26 January 2021, last accessed 11 April 2021
  9. ^ a b c d "FAQs-Organizational Insignia", Department of the Army, The Institute of Heraldry, last accessed 28 August 2022
  10. ^ a b c d "Big Picture: Your Army Reports: Number 10", US Army's The Big Picture (TV 713), hosted on PublicResourceOrg YouTube Channel, dated 1967, posted 31 December 2010, last accessed 28 August 2022
  11. ^ a b "TIOH Organization", Department of the Army, The Institute of Heraldry, last accessed 28 August 2022
  12. ^ "Beret Flash and Background Trimming for the 346th Quartermaster Company"; Department of the Army, The Institute of Heraldry; SAAA-IHS; dated 16 December 2019; last accessed 28 August 2022