A beret (pronounced [be'rɛ] in French or /'bɛreɪ/ in English, except in the USA, where it is usually pronounced /bə'reɪ/) is a soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a flat crown, which is worn by both men and women and traditionally associated with France.
Berets are worn by many military and police units, and in some countries are particularly associated with elite units, who often wear berets in more unusual colours (such as the maroon of Commonwealth parachute troops and the German Kommando Spezialkräfte KSK, the green of the Royal Marines Commandos, French Commandos (BĄ§|rets verts), and United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets), the maroon of the Danish Jægerkorpset, the scarlet of the elite Soviet Internal Troops (Spetsnaz), the beige or tan of Commonwealth special forces units (SAS) and U.S. Army Rangers, or the wide black of French Chasseurs alpins, the first military unit to have worn berets.
