Israel Defense Forces insignia
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 - "Class A" uniform; everyday wear, worn by enlisted soldiers.
- Field dress - "Class B" uniform; worn into combat, training, work on base.
- Career service dress / Ceremonial dress - "Class A" uniform; worn by non-commissioned officers, by commissioned officers from the rank seren and above or by other ranks during special events/ceremonies.
- Dress uniform and Mess dress - 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.
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. 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, but not while wearing the combat/work 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.Beret pins
All berets in the Israel Defense Forces, other than general corps berets, 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.| Corps | Pin symbol |
| The Chief of Staff Rosh HaMate HaKlali | Israel Defense Forces Emblem |
| General Staff HaMate HaKlali | Israel Defense Forces Emblem |
| Home Front Command Pikud HaOref | Sword wrapped by an olive branch with a large triangle in the background |
| Military Rabbinate HaRabanut HaTzva'it | Figure of the Ten Commandments with a sword in the foreground |
| Military Advocate General HaPraklitut HaTzva'it | Scales and a sword |
| Air Force Heil HaAvir | Sword, olive branch, Star of David and wings. |
| Infantry Corps Heil HaRaglim | Sword wrapped by an olive branch |
| Armor Corps Heil HaShiryon | Tank with olive branches |
| Artillery Corps Heil HaTothanim | Cannon/artillery piece |
| Combat Engineering Corps Heil HaHandasa HaKravit | Sword and castle surrounded by blast's halo |
| Field Intelligence Corps Heil Ha'Isuf Ha'Kravi | Sword and binoculars wrapped by an olive branch |
| Ordnance Corps Heil HaHimush | Sword, torch and a cog |
| Medical Corps Heil HaRefu'a | Snake around Rod of Asclepius, with Star of David on Bowl of Hygieia |
| Intelligence Corps Heil HaModi'in | Fleur-de-lis with half a star. |
| C4I Corps Heil HaTikshuv | Sword with wings and a pair of lightning bolts |
| Education and Youth Corps Heil HaHinukh VeHaNo'ar | Star of David, book and bow and arrow |
| Adjutant Corps Heil HaShalishut | Sword wrapped by an olive branch, a book, and a disk |
| Logistics Corps Heil HaLogistika | Sword, olive branch and a steering wheel |
| Military Police Heil HaMishtara HaTzva'it | Shield and flame |
| General Corps HaHayil HaKlali | Two crossed swords and a fig leaf |
| Israeli Navy Heil HaYam | Sword wrapped by an olive branch, anchor and seaweed |
| Israel Defense Forces Orchestra Tizmoret Tzahal | Harp of David placed between two trumpets amalgamated with olive branches. |
| Border Police Mishmar HaGvul | Israel Police Star of David |
| Command Military School Cadets Pnimia Zvait Le Pikud | Sword wrapped by an olive branch on open book |
| Israel Air Force Technological College Cadets Michlala technologit shel Heil HaAvir | Propeller on open book, gearwheel and wings |
| Naval Officers School of Acre Cadets Beit haSefer leKzinei Yam Akko | Anchor and seaweed |
Shoulder tags
Typically, each IDF unit has its own shoulder tag. Shoulder tags consist of a long section and a tip, which can be one of four shapes: a circle, a rectangle, a diamond, or a shield-like shape. Shoulder tags are only worn on dress uniforms, on the left shoulder attached to the shoulder strap.Some of the IDF shoulder tags: