View source for Special Forces Tab

{{Infobox military award
|name=Special Forces Tab
|image=[[File:SpecialForcesTabMetal.jpg|110px|Special Forces Tab]][[File:Special Forces Tab Cloth.jpg|300px]][[File:Special Forces Tab - OCP.png|300px]]
|caption= '''1st:''' Miniature metallic badge variant<br>'''2nd:''' [[Army Service Uniform]] variant<br>'''3rd:''' [[Army Combat Uniform]] variant
|presenter=[[United States Army]]
|type=Tab
|eligibility=
|awarded_for=Graduation from the Special Forces Qualification Course
|status=Currently awarded
|established=1983
|firstawarded=
|lastawarded=
|total_awarded=
|total_awarded_posthumously=
|total_recipients=
|individual=
|higher=None
|lower=[[Ranger Tab]]<ref name="AR600-8-22">{{Cite web |date=5 March 2019 |title=Army Regulation 600-8-22 Military Awards |url=https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18147_R600_8_22_admin2_FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512125349/https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18147_R600_8_22_admin2_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2022 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]]}}</ref>
|image2=
|caption2=
}}
{{US Army tabs|state = collapsed}}
{{Listen
| image       = [[File:Video Camera Icon.png|50px]]
| help        = no
| filename    = USA Special Forces Tab.ogv
| title       = Earning the Special Forces Tab
| description = Official U.S. Army video about the Special Forces Tab
| pos         = right
}}
The '''Special Forces Tab''' is a service school qualification [[Tabs_of_the_United_States_Army|tab]] of the [[United States Army]], awarded to any soldier completing the [[Special Forces Qualification Course]]<ref name="AR600-8-22" /> at the U.S. Army [[John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School]], [[Fort Bragg|Fort Bragg, North Carolina]]. Soldiers who are awarded the Special Forces Tab are authorized to wear it, as well as the [[green beret]] for the remainder of their military careers, even when not serving in a [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] command.<ref name="AR600-8-22" /><ref name="DA PAM 670-1">{{Cite web |date=25 May 2017 |title=Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia Pamphlet 670–1 |url=https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN1575_DAPam670-1_Web_FINAL.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911212154/https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN1575_DAPam670-1_Web_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=11 September 2017 |access-date=2022-08-28 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]]}}</ref>

Because it is longer than the other qualification tabs, it is called the "long tab". Personnel who have earned it are nicknamed "long tabbers".

==Description and history==
The Special Forces Tab was created in 1983 and is an embroidered quadrant patch worn on the upper left sleeve of a military uniform. The cloth tab is 3{{frac|1|4}}&nbsp;inches wide, 3/4-inch high, and is teal blue with gold-yellow embroidered letters. A metal Special Forces Badge is authorized for wear on mess/dress (1" wide) and class-B uniforms (1{{frac|9|16}}" wide). The metal badge is teal blue with a gold edge and gold letters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum: Special Forces Tab |url=http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/airborne/sf_tab.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000510192433/http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/airborne/sf_tab.htm |archive-date=10 May 2000 |website=[[U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum]]}}</ref>

At the time of its creation, the Special Forces Tab was retroactively awarded to any Army soldiers previously [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces]]-qualified. In addition, as set forth in Army regulations, veterans of certain categories of former wartime service are also eligible for retroactive awards of the tab. Among these are:<ref name="AR600-8-22" />

* Personnel who served with a Special Forces unit during wartime between 1942 and 1973 and were either unable to or not required to attend a formal program of instruction but were awarded the proper [[Military Occupational Specialty|Special Qualification Identifier]] by a competent authority. U.S. Army Warrant Officers are excluded.
* Personnel with at least 120 days' wartime service prior to 1955 in certain units, including the [[1st Special Service Force]], [[OSS Detachment 101]], [[Operation Jedburgh|OSS Jedburgh teams]], [[Office of Strategic Services|OSS]] Operational Groups, and the [[Alamo Scouts|Sixth Army Special Reconnaissance Unit]] ("Alamo Scouts") and [[United Nations Partisan Infantry Korea|8240th Army Unit]].
* Officer or Enlisted personnel of rank O-3 and below awarded the [[Combat Infantryman Badge]] or [[Combat Medical Badge]] while serving at least 120 consecutive days between 1955 and 1975 in a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (A-Team), Mobile Strike Force, SF Reconnaissance Team or SF Special Project Unit. Does not apply to U.S. Army Warrant Officers. 

[[File:SP4 Keith Campbell-11th SFG-KIA 1967.jpg|thumb|185px|A non-special forces qualified paratrooper with the 11th Special Forces Group wearing green beret with the [[1st Special Forces Command (Airborne)|1st Special Forces Regiment]] DUI and unit recognition bar, {{circa}} 1967<ref name="Kampbell Memorial">{{Cite web |title=Keith Allen Campbell |url=http://www.virtualwall.org/dc/CampbellKA01a.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010222140113/http://www.virtualwall.org/dc/CampbellKA01a.htm |archive-date=22 February 2001 |website=Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial}}</ref>]]
Before the creation of the Special Forces Tab, [[US Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] qualification was indicated by wearing a full-size unit specific [[US military beret flash|beret flash]] on their [[green beret]]. A support soldier (such as military intelligence, signals, parachute riggers, vehicle mechanics, etc.) assigned to a Special Forces unit wore a 1/4" high recognition bar (nicknamed a "half flash," "striker bar," or "candy stripe") below the Special Forces [[Distinctive Unit Insignia]] (DUI), officer rank insignia, or chaplain branch insignia on their green beret. The bar was designed to matched the colors and design of their unit's full-size beret flash.<ref name="Recognition Bar">{{Cite book |last=Rottman |first=Gordon L. |title=US Army Special Forces, 1952-84 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLPvCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT65 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |year=1985 |isbn=978-1-78200-446-2 |location=London |oclc=813846700 |author-link=Gordon L. Rottman}}</ref><ref name="AR670-1 1981">{{Cite web |date=1981 |title=Wear and appearance of Army uniforms and insignia AR 670-1 1981 |url=http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm/ref/collection/p4013coll9/id/602 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327001641/http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/utils/getdownloaditem/collection/p4013coll9/id/600/filename/612.pdf/mapsto/pdf/type/compoundobject/cpdtype/monograph/show/600 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]]}}</ref><ref name="AR614-200">{{Cite web |date=25 January 2019 |title=ENLISTED ASSIGNMENTS AND UTILIZATION MANAGEMENT AR 614-200 |url=https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN14314_AR614-200_FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812045338/https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN14314_AR614-200_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]]}}</ref> After the creation of the tab in 1983 and until January 1993, all personnel in a Special Forces unit wore the same beret and beret flash. Today, only Special Forces-qualified soldiers wear the green beret with support soldiers wearing [[maroon beret]]s, making the need for the recognition bar moot.

==Award Eligibility==
Award eligibility as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tabs Special Forces Tab |url=https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/Heraldry.aspx?HeraldryId=16094&CategoryId=20&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services&ps=24&p=0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613191831/https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/Heraldry.aspx?HeraldryId=16094&CategoryId=20&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services&ps=24&p=0 |archive-date=13 June 2020 |website=[[United States Army Institute of Heraldry|The Institute of Heraldry]]}}{{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 March 2019 |title=Military Awards AR 600–8–22 |url=https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18147_R600_8_22_admin2_FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721134331/https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18147_R600_8_22_admin2_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2019 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]]}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>
* 1) Basic Eligibility Criteria. Any person meeting one of the criteria below may be awarded the Special Forces (SF) tab:
** 1.1)Successful completion of U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS) approved Active Army (AA) institutional training leading to SF qualification.
** 1.2) Successful completion of a SWCS approved Reserve Component (RC) SF qualification program.
** 1.3) Successful completion of an authorized unit administered SF qualification program.
* 2) Active Component institutional training. The SF Tab may be awarded to all personnel who meet the following:
** 2.1) For successful completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course or Special Forces Detachment Officer Qualification Course (previously known as the Special Forces Officer Course). These courses are/were conducted by the SWCS (previously known as the U.S. Army Institute for Military Assistance).
** 2.2) Prior to 1 January 1988, for successful completion of the then approved program of instruction for Special Forces qualification in a Special Forces Group, who were subsequently awarded, by competent authority, SQI "S" in Career Management Field 18 (enlisted), or SQI "3" in Functional Area 18 (officer).
* 3) Reserve Component (RC) SF qualification programs. The SF Tab may be awarded to all personnel who successfully complete an RC SF qualification program according to TRADOC Regulation 135–5, dated 1 June 1988 or its predecessors and who were subsequently awarded, by competent authority, SQI "S" or "3" in MOS 11B, 11C, 12B, 05B, 91B, or ASI "5G" or "3." The SWCS will determine individual entitlement for an award of the SF Tab based on historical review of Army, Continental Army Command (CONARC), and TRADOC regulations prescribing SF qualification requirements in effect at the time the individual began an RC SF qualification program.
* 4) Unit administered SF qualification programs. The SF Tab may be awarded to all personnel who successfully completed unit administered SF qualification programs as authorized by regulation. The SWCS will determine individual entitlement to an award of the SF Tab based upon a historical review of regulations prescribing SF qualification requirements in effect at the time the individual began a unit administered SF qualification program.
* 5) Former wartime service. The Special Forces Tab may be awarded retroactively to all personnel who performed the following wartime service:
** 5.1) 1942 through 1973. Served with a Special Forces unit during wartime and were either unable to or not required to attend a formal program of instruction but were awarded SQI "S", "3", "5G" by the competent authority.
** 5.2) Prior to 1954. Service for at least 120 consecutive days in one of the following organizations:
*** 5.2.1) 1st Special Service Force, August 1942 to December 1944.
*** 5.2.2) OSS Detachment 101, April 1942 to September 1945.
*** 5.2.3) OSS Jedburgh Detachments, May 1944 to May 1945.
*** 5.2.4) OSS Operational Groups, May 1944 to May 1945.
*** 5.2.5) OSS Maritime Unit, April 1942 to September 1945.
*** 5.2.6) 6th Army Special Reconnaissance Unit (Alamo Scouts), February 1944 to September 1945.
*** 5.2.7) 8240th Army Unit, June 1950 to July 1953.
*** 5.2.8) 1954 through 1975. Any company grade officer or enlisted member awarded the CIB or CMB while serving for at least 120 consecutive days in one of the following type organizations:
**** 5.2.8a) SF Operational Detachment-A (A-Team).
**** 5.2.8b) Mobile Strike Force.
**** 5.2.8c) SF Reconnaissance Team.
**** 5.2.8d) SF Special Project Unit.

==Other tabs==
The Special Forces Tab is one of four permanent individual skill/marksmanship tabs (as compared to a [[Badges of the United States Army|badge]]) authorized for wear by the U.S. Army. The other authorized skill tabs are the [[Ranger Tab]] and [[Sapper Tab]], while the [[President's Hundred Tab]] is awarded for marksmanship at the National Matches held at [[Camp Perry]], Ohio.<ref name="AR600-8-22" /> Only three may be worn at one time.<ref name="DA PAM 670-1" /> The President's Hundred Tab is worn above the unit of assignment and below any earned skill tabs. There is no order of precedence among skill tabs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Army Publishing Directorate |url=https://armypubs.army.mil/productmaps/pubform/details.aspx?pub_id=1021155 |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=armypubs.army.mil}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Tabs of the United States Army]]
* [[Military badges of the United States]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons cat}}
* [https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?PUB_ID=1003738 Army Regulation 600–8–22 Military Awards] [https://web.archive.org/web/20190721134331/https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18147_R600_8_22_admin2_FINAL.pdf Archived]

{{US Army badges|state = uncollapsed}}
{{US Army SFG}}

[[Category:United States military badges]]
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