This page details the uniforms and insignia of the Israel Defense Forces, excluding rank insignia. For ranks, see Israel Defense Forces ranks and insignia.
Uniforms
The Israel Defense Forces has several types of uniforms: Service dress (Madei Aleph)Historama - Militaria - IDF - Israeli Militaria Primer: DRESS / SERVICE UNIFORMS ("MADEI-ALEF") - "Class A" uniform; everyday wear, worn by enlisted soldiers. Field dress (Madei Bet)Historama - Militaria - IDF - Israeli Militaria Primer: BATTLE-DRESS / WORK UNIFORMS ("MADEI-BET") - "Class B" uniform; worn into combat, training, work on base. Career service dress / Ceremonial dress (Madei Keva) - "Class A" uniform; worn by non-commissioned officers, by commissioned officers from the rank seren (Captain) and above or by other ranks during special events/ceremonies. Dress uniform (Madei Srad) and Mess dress (Madei Gala) - Worn only during very important ceremonies and abroad by high-ranking officers. There are several dress uniforms depending on the season and the branch. Dress uniforms follow the American model and Mess Dress uniforms follow the British and Commonwealth pattern.
The service uniform for all ground forces personnel is olive green, navy and air force uniforms are beige. The uniforms consist of a shirt, combat trousers, beret neatly placed under epaulet), belt and boots. Additionally a bomber jacket and sometimes a sweater are issued to optionally be worn during cold weather. Sailors are additionally issued all-white dress uniform for ceremonies. Field dress consist of olive green fatigues, the same uniform is used for winter and summer, and heavy winter gear is issued as needed. Women's dress parallels the men's but a woman may choose to substitute a skirt for the trousers, or sandals for boots. NCOs and Officers with the rank of Captain or above wear different dress uniforms depending on the branch. Ground forces wear light teal shirts and dark green pants, in the Air Force light blue shirts and navy blue pants, and in the Navy white shirts and navy blue pants. Depending on position Officers with the rank of Captain and above may additionally substitute their boots for oxford dress shoes.
Some corps or units have small variations in their uniforms - for instance, military policemen wear a white belt and white police hat. Similarly, while most IDF soldiers are issued black leather boots, some units issue reddish-brown leather boots for historical reasons- The Paratroopers, Nahal and Kfir brigades, as well as the Border Protection Infantry and some SF units (Sayeret Matkal, Oketz, Duvdevan, Maglan, Lotar (Counter-Terror School)). Additionally, certain special operations units are issued canvas hiking boots for wear during missions.
Berets
Each corps in the Israel Defense Forces has a beret of a different color and/or a different beret pin worn by its soldiers, independent of rank and position. Israel Defense Forces soldiers wear berets on their heads only on formal occasions, such as ceremonies and roll calls. The beret is placed beneath the left shoulder strap while wearing the service uniform (alef), but not while wearing the combat/work (bet) uniform in the field. On base it is left to the unit's discretion whether to wear berets or field hats. Air force and navy officers, military orchestra soldiers and military police law enforcement soldiers wear combination caps. Formerly, male soldiers of all ranks wore combination caps, while female soldiers wore the garrison cap. In the 1950s, the beret was adopted as the default headgear for the service uniform. The color of the air force beret was blue-gray; armored corps, artillery, and special operations personnel wore a black beret. Paratroopers, following the pattern of the British Army, wore maroon, all other infantry wore olive drab. Combat engineers wore a gray beret. For all other army personnel, except combat units, the beret for men was green and for women, black. Women in the navy wore a black beret with gold insignia while men wore the traditional white sailor cap like that of the US Navy.
CorpsColorAir ForceAir Force Infantry CorpsGolani Brigade Paratroopers Brigade and SF units Nahal Brigade Givati Brigade Kfir BrigadeArmor CorpsArmor Corps Artillery CorpsArtillery Corps Combat Intelligence CorpsCombat Intelligence Corps Engineering CorpsEngineering Corps IntelligenceDirectorate of Military Intelligence C4I CorpsC4I Corps Military PoliceMilitary Police Border PoliceBorder Police Home FrontHome Front Command GeneralGeneral Corps NavySea Corps
Beret pins All berets in the Israel Defense Forces, other than general corps berets (when worn by recruits), have pins attached to their front, which represent the symbol of the corps. While soldiers may wear the beret of another corps due to serving at that corps' base, they will always wear the pin of their native corps. Each pin consists of the corps symbol as well as a certain ornament which also contains the name of the corps. Soldiers serving a term in military prison must wear a blank beret with no pins attached.
CorpsPin symbolThe Chief of Staff Rosh HaMate HaKlali (Ramatkal)Israel Defense Forces Emblem General Staff HaMate HaKlaliIsrael Defense Forces Emblem Home Front Command Pikud HaOref (Heil HaOref)Sword wrapped by an olive branch with a large triangle in the backgroundMilitary Rabbinate HaRabanut HaTzva'itFigure of the Ten Commandments with a sword in the foregroundMilitary Advocate General HaPraklitut HaTzva'itScales and a swordAir Force Heil HaAvirSword, olive branch, Star of David and wings (eagle wings, found at Bet-Shean excavations).Infantry Corps Heil HaRaglimSword wrapped by an olive branchArmor Corps Heil HaShiryonTank with olive branchesArtillery Corps Heil HaTothanimCannon/artillery pieceCombat Engineering Corps Heil HaHandasa HaKravitSword and castle surrounded by blast's haloField Intelligence Corps Heil Ha'Isuf Ha'KraviSword and binoculars wrapped by an olive branchOrdnance Corps Heil HaHimushSword, torch and a cogMedical Corps Heil HaRefu'aSnake around Rod of Asclepius, with Star of David on Bowl of HygieiaIntelligence Corps Heil HaModi'inFleur-de-lis with half a star.C4I Corps Heil HaTikshuvSword with wings and a pair of lightning boltsEducation and Youth Corps Heil HaHinukh VeHaNo'arStar of David, book and bow and arrowAdjutant Corps Heil HaShalishutSword wrapped by an olive branch, a book, and a diskLogistics Corps Heil HaLogistikaSword, olive branch and a steering wheelMilitary Police Heil HaMishtara HaTzva'itShield and flameGeneral Corps HaHayil HaKlaliTwo crossed swords and a fig leafIsraeli Navy Heil HaYamSword wrapped by an olive branch, anchor and seaweedIsrael Defense Forces Orchestra Tizmoret TzahalHarp of David placed between two trumpets amalgamated with olive branches. Border Police Mishmar HaGvul (Magav)Israel Police Star of DavidCommand Military School Cadets Pnimia Zvait Le PikudSword wrapped by an olive branch on open bookIsrael Air Force Technological College Cadets Michlala technologit shel Heil HaAvirPropeller on open book, gearwheel and wingsNaval Officers School of Acre Cadets Beit haSefer leKzinei Yam AkkoAnchor and seaweed
Shoulder tags Typically, each IDF unit (yehida) has its own shoulder tag (tagei katef).Historama - Militaria - IDF - Israeli Militaria Primer: Further developments (Early 1950s) Shoulder tags consist of a long section and a tip, which can be one of four shapes: a circle (commands, directorates and air force units except anti-aircraft), a rectangle (Golani Brigade), a diamond, or a shield-like shape (most common). Shoulder tags are only worn on dress uniforms, on the left shoulder attached to the shoulder strap.
Some of the IDF shoulder tags:
Commands
Branches
Corps
Infantry Brigades
By order: Golani, Kfir, Tzanchanim, Nahal, Givati
Insignia Aiguillettes, Srochim in Hebrew are worn on the left shoulder* of the uniform to indicate a soldier's specific role a unit:Arik933 Israeli army ranks and what's what Black/ Green: Commanders in the Section/ Squad Commanders’ Course Black/ Yellow: Instructor in Chemical Warfare Black: Commanders in the Officer Courses/ Advance Courses Blue/ Red: Military Police Burgundy/ Pink – Instructional Development Team, Multimedia Producer, Educational software programmer . Blue/ White: Chief Sergeant of a Base Brown: Behavioral Sciences Analyst Cerulean/ Orange: Search and Rescue Dark Blue: Navy Instructors Gold: Discipline Attaché Green: Section/ Squad Commander White/ Green: Military Intelligence Commander Grey: Education Attaché Claret: Multimedia Producer or Officer in an Educational Course Purple: Service Rights Attaché Red: IDF Orchestra (*Right Shoulder), Navy Instructor (Left Shoulder) White: Security Guards Yellow/ White: Field Intelligence Personnel
References
External links Unit tags of the IDF broken link
Bibliography