Iraqi military berets
Sections:
- saddam era berets (1980 - 2003)
- New iraqi forces berets (Post 2003)
Saddam era berets
During the Saddam Era, berets played a bigger role with the Iraqi Forces than after 2003, meaning more beret variations. This section will go over beret maker marks, eagles, and color differences.
Beret Colors
Olive Green: Supply and Logistics Personnel
Maroon: Special Forces
Blue: Air Force and Navy (Can sometimes fade to grey)
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Black: General use (Infantry, Police, Navy, Armored, Republican Guard, Fedayeen, all ranks, etc...)
Green: Thunder Troops
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beret eagles
The Iraqi beret eagles are in the form of Iraq's Coat of Arms. When the coat of arms changed, so did the beret insignia, but it is not uncommon for Pre 1991 beret eagles to be worn during OIF.
The colors of the eagle can denote what occupation the individual has:
Silver: Police
Gilt/bronze: Enlisted men and Officers
Officer eagles are of higher quality. Both officers and enlisted men wore the eagles with the colored shield.
The colors of the eagle can denote what occupation the individual has:
Silver: Police
Gilt/bronze: Enlisted men and Officers
Officer eagles are of higher quality. Both officers and enlisted men wore the eagles with the colored shield.
Pre-1991 Eagle: Has the 3 stars going vertically down the shield, as all Pre 1991 eagles should have. This particular eagle is facing right, meaning it was originally from a collar tab or shoulder board. These eagles come in a plethora of different materials. Some are even enameled, chromed, or have color.
Post 1990 Eagle: Another version of the terrible quality sanction made eagle, this time with "God is Great" between the horizontally positioned stars. This was an OIF bringback from an Iraqi RG officer.
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Post 1990 Eagle: Beginning in 1991, the stars on the shield go across, with some having "God is Great" written between them. This version has the 3 stars going horizontally on the shield, but does not have "God is Great" between them, hinting that it was made either in 1991 or very shortly after. This particular eagle is of very bad quality because it was made when sanctions were placed on Iraq.
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other beret insignia
Iraqi jump wings ( 1980's - Present): Worn by Special Forces and individuals who had earned their jump wings. Now, they have been mostly replaced with a new design.
Special Forces Beret Wing (1980's - Present): These were worn by Special Forces personnel during the Saddam period and come in a few different colors. They are still worn today, but are slightly different. The Saddam era ones have a safety pin like fastener.
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Iraqi Police branch insignia: The one in the photo is a post Saddam badge, but the Saddam era ones have the same design.
Iraqi Tanker/Armoured Beret Insignia: Worn by Iraqi Armored and Tanker personnel
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Maker marks
Wassit Company (Iraqi Made): An Iraqi company. They were the last company to produce Saddam era berets
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Wassit Company (Iraqi made): Another variant of the Wassit logo that translates to "Ministry of Industry and Minerals, Wassit Company for Industry". An extra stamped Jihm mark under the Wassit logo denotes the beret as being used Post 1991.
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new iraqi forces berets
After the fall of Saddam, the New Iraqi Army continued to wear berets, but not to the scale as in the Saddam period where they wore them in combat. Now, they are normally worn for garrison and dress wear. While in the field, a kevlar helmet or baseball/soft cap is worn instead. Remember, the Iraqi army is not as organized as other military forces, so you will observe other branches seemingly wearing the wrong color, especially within the regular Iraqi army.
Beret colors
Maroon: Special Forces and other specialized units (ISOF, Golden Division, ERD, ICTS, ect...)
Also worn by individuals who have earned their jump wings. Tan: Military Colleges (unconfirmed) and Infantry
Green: Commando troop. However, the Iraqi troops that qualify as "commandos" are unknown
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Black: Iraqi Federal/Regular Police, and Infantry
(The one above has a Police badge) Blue: Air Force
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beret insignia
Iraqi Special Forces Wings (Post 2003): Worn by Special Forces and other specialized units. It is also worn by individuals who have earned their jump wings that are not in those units.
This version is worn by both enlisted personnel and officers, while the other jump wing to the right is usually worn by officers. 
Iraqi Tanker/Armored Branch Insignia: Worn by Iraqi Armored and Tanker personnel
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Iraqi Jump Wings (Post 2003): Although worn during the Saddam period, they are still worn today alongside the Special Forces Wing pictured on the left. It appears that the individuals who wear these are largely officers, while enlisted personnel mostly wear the other version.
Iraqi Police badge: Worn by both the regular and Federal Police.
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maker marks
An unknown post Saddam beret manufacturer marking. It could be British made, but seeing that the Eiffel Tower is present on the logo, it could also be a Chinese imitation. This is on a maroon Special Forces beret brought back in 2008. It is of high quality.
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Another unknown beret manufacturer seen on post Saddam berets. The label hints it could be French made, but it could also be Chinese as they are known to imitate labels. This label has been observed on berets from the War on ISIS period.
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