Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Green Berets
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Sadler, Barry
Discover
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
Attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor infographic. World War II. Hawaii. United States. Japan. SPOTLIGHT VERSION
Attack on Pearl Harbor Timeline
Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece
Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
Horses. Equus caballus. Horse stable. A brown horse looks out from his stall through the window.
Horsing Around: 7 of the Weirdest Racehorse Names in History
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles
Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?
Sadler, Barry
Sadler, Barry American soldier, singer, and songwriter Barry Sadler recording “The Ballad of the Green Berets” in 1966.

Green Berets

United States military
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Green-Berets
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Special Forces, United States Army Special Forces
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Quick Facts
Formally:
Special Forces
Date:
1952 - present
Areas Of Involvement:
counterinsurgency

Green Berets, elite armed force and unit of the U.S. Army specializing in counterinsurgency. The Green Berets (whose berets can be colours other than green) came into being in 1952. They were active in the Vietnam War, and they have been sent to U.S.-supported governments around the world to help combat guerrilla insurgencies. The special unit was popularized by Green Beret Barry Sadler and his song “The Ballad of the Green Berets” in 1966.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg.