Reports out of Ft. Bragg say that there is a movement afoot to issue Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) soldiers assigned to Special Operations Forces (SOF) their own distinctive headgear, in this case, a grey beret.

The Army Times reported that the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, (SWCS) and the Army were testing a “distinctive uniform item” at the SWCS’s schoolhouse located at Ft. Bragg, NC.

However, the SWCS Public Affairs Officer (PAO) LTC Loren Bymer has stated that nothing has been approved and the idea hasn’t even been pitched to the SWCS commander, Major General Patrick Robertson.

“In a move to more closely link Army Special Operations Forces, the PSYOP Proponent at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School is exploring the idea of a distinctive uniform item, like a grey beret, to those Soldiers who graduate the Psychological Operations Qualification Course,” Bymer said in a statement.

“The PSYOP proponent at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School is still studying the issue and has not made any recommendation to the Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Patrick Roberson, concerning awarding of a beret,” he added.

Bymer, who normally gets to act as the wet blanket of reason for the various rumors that permeate USASOC and the SWCS, has stated that a Facebook post by a unit on Ft. Bragg “incorrectly identified a grey beret as the new distinctive unit headgear” for PSYOP soldiers. That post was uploaded by the 5th Bn, 1st Special Warfare Training Group’s Facebook page and featured a grainy photo of a grey beret with a SWCS flash. 

The post stated, “There are currently no plans to implement a distinctive headgear for PSYOP. It has been an ongoing discussion, but it has not been officially proposed to the command and has not been approved.” And the purpose, it was added further below, was to generate discussion.

In the Army Times piece, Bymer stated, “The recommended DUI (distinctive unit insignia) does not have a unit affiliation, rather an education requirement. If approved, all students completing the optimized ARSOF PSYOP Qualification Course, which will include a SOF PSYOP module, would earn the SOF PSYOP Additional Skill Identifier.”