Recently, an SSD reader commented that they didn’t understand why Security Forces and TACPs wear the same color beret. They don’t. Cops wear Dark Blue (which they appropriated from CCT) and TACP wear Black but the colors are close and based on fading, you could definitely confuse the two. One of the funniest stories I heard was from a TACCS who told me that a Soldier in the Army commented about how nice it was that the Army was letting them wear their headgear. TACPS wore Black berets long before the Army handed them out to everyone.
Currently, several careerfields wear berets. It’s really been a helter skelter smattering of who has a beret and who doesn’t with more and more added over the years. In some cases the beret is worn by actual combat oriented AFSCs and in others only by certain members of careerfields. Take for example, Combat Weather where only Weather Parachutists sport berets. On the other hand, you’ve got the entire AF Security Forces careerfield which wears a beret. Being in a Special Tactics Squadron you can find every one of these colors in a formation along with Airmen wearing ball caps or flight caps.
Berets have often been considered a mark of the elite (despite the US Army’s decision to institutionalize the Black beret for all Soldiers) and by extension parachutists. When you look at the list, the Air Force’s beret policy really doesn’t make much sense. For instance Air Force parachutists in careerfields other than those below do not wear a beret (although in many joint billets they do in spite of AF uniform regs) while non-parachutists in some AFSCs do wear them.
CCT/STO – Scarlet
PJ/CRO – Maroon
TACP/ALO – Black
Weather Parachutists – Grey
Security Force – Blue
SERE Specialists – Sage Green
Not shown is a Sky Blue beret worn by cadets at the US Air Force Academy while BCT introduction to first year cadets.
This image came from the Air Force and still isn’t quite right. For instance, Special Operations Weather Technicians have a metal beret device and no longer wear the DUI of the ARSOF units they support. At least the colors are all correct.
