“The green beret symbolizes the special breed of warrior that serves in the Army’s Special Forces. They deserve something that makes them stand out from the rest of the rank-and-file.”
US Army combat advisors are getting some uniform changes and the Special Forces (SF) community is not happy about it. The Security Force Assistance Brigade, or SFAB, is a new concept in the Army, designed to replace brigade combat teams and division headquarters elements as the primary advise and assist forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is just the first of six security-force assistance brigades that the army plans to have operational over the next few years.
SFAB was recently stood up and plans have been confirmed that its soldiers will be issued an OD-green beret with a special forces-style flash and a patch that looks similar to the MACV-Recondo patch worn by some SF soldiers in Vietnam. It also includes a tab that will either read “Advise-Assist” or “Combat Advisor.”
The mission of the 1st SFAB is to train, advise, and assist security forces in partner nations.
The 1st SFAB’s new nickname, “The Legion,” has also received heavy criticism from Special Forces soldiers and veterans. “The Legion” has long been the nickname of the 5th Special Forces Group, based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The mission of the 1st SFAB is to train, advise, and assist security forces in partner nations. It will be comprised of seasoned officers and noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and will not include junior soldiers. Part of their mission is foreign internal defense, or FID, which includes fighting insurgencies in foreign states – a mission that is at the center of Special Forces doctrine.
The decision to issue these uniform items to the 1st SFAB came directly from Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, himself a veteran of the 5th Special Forces Group.
The backlash from Special Forces soldiers and veterans on social media has been heavy and harsh. Some of it has been directed at soldiers assigned to the 1st SFAB who are just completing their training. A change.org petition has been started to stop the issuance of the green beret to the 1st SFAB and has already accumulated more than 80,000 signatures.
The Green Berets feel as though this is a direct rip off of their heritage. Others in the US Army don’t see it that way. The decision to issue these uniform items to the 1st SFAB came directly from Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, himself a veteran of the 5th Special Forces Group. The personnel who developed the new unit were all former Army Rangers and Green Berets, and the intention has been to build the SFAB on many of the same standards as units like the 75th Ranger Regiment and the Special Forces groups.
This isn’t the first time that an Army-wide decision to change uniforms for certain soldiers has received such heavy backlash. In 2001, then-Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki ordered the black beret to become the standard headgear for all soldiers when in garrison. The black beret had previously only been worn by members of the 75th Ranger Regiment. In response, the 75th changed their headgear to the tan beret they now use but not before there were demonstrations and even marches in Washington D.C. to voice their frustration.
The green beret symbolizes the special breed of warrior that serves in the Army’s Special Forces. These men volunteer to go behind enemy lines in small teams, to take on the most difficult and dangerous missions, and they only get the opportunity to do so after completing some of the most physically and mentally demanding assessment, selection, and qualification courses in the military. They deserve something that makes them stand out from the rest of the rank-and-file. They’ve earned it.
