|
Syria Uniforms and Rank Insignia
Service uniforms for Syrian officers generally follow the
British style, although army combat clothing follows the Soviet
model. Each uniform has two coats: a long one for dress and a
short jacket for informal wear. Army officer uniforms are khaki
in summer, olive in winter. Air force officers have two uniforms
for each season: a khaki and a light gray for summer and a dark
blue and a light gray in winter. Naval officers wear white in
summer and navy blue in winter. Lower ranks wear the traditional
bell bottoms and white blouse. The uniform for naval chief petty
officers is a buttoned jacket, similar to that worn by United
States chief petty officers. Officers have a variety of headgear,
including a service cap, garrison cap, and beret (linen in summer
and wool in winter). The color of the beret varies by season and
according to the officer's unit.
Commissioned officers' rank insignia are identical for the
army and air force. These are gold on a bright green shoulder
board for the army and gold on a bright blue board for the air
force. Officer ranks are standard, although the highest is the
equivalent of lieutenant general, a rank held in 1986 only by the
commander in chief and the minister of defense. Navy officer rank
insignia are gold stripes worn on the lower sleeve. The highest
ranking officer in Syria's navy is the equivalent of lieutenant
general. Army and air force rank for warrant officers is
indicated by gold stars on an olive green shield worn on the
upper left arm. Lower noncommissioned ranks are indicated by
upright and inverted chevrons worn on the upper left arm
(see fig. 15, Ranks and Insignias).
Although some twenty-five orders and medals are authorized,
generally only senior officers and warrant officers wear medal
ribbons. The following are some important Syrian awards: Order of
Umayyads, Medal of Military Honor, the War Medal, Medal for
Courage, Yarmuk Medal, Wounded in Action Medal, and Medal of
March 8, 1963.
Data as of April 1987
|
