The Purpose & Importance of Infrared (IR) Military Patches

Infrared (IR) patches hold an important function for the U.S. Military. IR patches help signify fellow soldiers in field, thus protecting them from friendly fire. In addition, infrared patches provide crucial information to battlefield medics and hospital staff, such as blood type.

A soldier's IR patch is an indispensable uniform accessory. During the daytime, IR patches can be seen without a visible reflective glow. However during the night, infrared patches become illuminated while being observed through night vision technology.

Purpose & Types of Military Infrared Patches

There are a number of military IR patches for different components of the military-issue uniform. The most common types are IR flags, Army unit patches, and blood type patches.

Infrared flags, or IR flag patches, serve as a type of combat identification used by soldiers. During the night, IR flags help units distinguish soldiers amidst the battlefield.

Holding a similar purpose as IR flags, infrared Army unit patches are designed to help soldiers to distinguish those who are apart of particular Army unit or division. Some examples may include the 1st Army Division IR patch or the 172nd Stryker Brigade IR patch (as shown in the image) which indicate various levels of certification training and military experience.

The final IR patch carries a very important purpose. That is the blood type IR patch. As its name denotes, the blood type IR patch tells medics the specific blood type of a fallen soldier during the dark. As one of the most critical military uniform patches in the field, the blood type IR patch holds great importance to provide adequate medical attention accordingly.

Current Events & Restrictions of IR Patches

During the initial production of IR patches, they were made available for both the military and civilians. This resulted in terrorist regimes such as the Taliban and Al-qaeda acquiring infrared patches for their own use.

Because the coalition attack aircraft were restricted from firing upon anyone wear infrared patches, these terrorist groups were able to avoid attacks from opposing forces.

As a result of this issue, the United States State Department has restricted the exportation of IR patches. Although similar versions of the IR patch have been produced and sold overseas, they are not infrared receptive through night vision gear.

Only select military surplus stores offer IR patches for sale. You can find many different military-issue IR patches to serve many different functions.

This post was contributed by Tyler Tafelsky.

Three Types Of American Flag Patches

There are five branches of the United States Armed Forces. This includes the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. Each of these branches requires its personnel to wear the American flag on the right sleeve of the service uniform. The wearing of dress uniforms and physical training uniforms do not require it. For military service members assigned to garrison duty or deployed in a combat zone, the wearing of American flag patches is a must unless otherwise ordered by their commanding officer. Generally, there are rules that must be followed when wearing American flag patches although there are no federal laws that govern it. However, some states have their own laws regarding its use.


American flag patches are worn by members of the Armed Forces, law enforcement officers and members of other such organizations as well as patriotic organizations. It is not allowed to be used when wearing athletic uniforms or costumes. If you are thinking about using one, you can choose either the forward-facing or the reverse field flags. The left side of the flag patch should be worn closest to the heart. This is the portion where the field of stars of the flag is positioned. This means that you need reverse American flag patches if you intend to use it on the right sleeve. This placement has an important significance as it means that the soldier wearing it runs forward to battle instead of running away from it as implied when the flag patch is worn with the stripes facing forward. Hook and pile fasteners were used since 2006 instead of sewing the flag patch directly onto the uniform.


Military personnel are authorized to use three types of American flag patches. These are the full-color flag, subdued flag and infrared flag patches. The discretion for wearing any of these types depends upon the commander of the unit. Full color flags consisting of red, white and blue colors with gold trim are most often worn for garrison duty. Subdued flag patches are used in the field where camouflage is essential. In this context, subdued means that the colors used for these American flag patches blends with the combat uniform worn; hence avoiding uncalled for attention from hostile forces. Subdued flags often consist of various shades of gray but are also available in other equally drab colors. Infrared flags are also usually made of varying shades of gray but black and tan infrared flag patch and olive drab infrared flag patch are also sold through military supply outlets. These infrared flag patches have a visible IR signature when viewed through night vision equipment. They are most often used for field and combat duty and very seldom for garrison wear.


Infrared flag patches are forms of combat identification. Designed to protect soldiers from friendly fire, these infrared flag patches are observed using night vision equipment commonly found in combat helicopters and other modern combat aircraft. They are not easily differentiated from the combat uniform when viewed through the naked eye; therefore, they do not compromise the camouflage value of the combat uniform. The United States presently restricts the sales and usage of infrared flag patches to “military personnel only” because Taliban and Al-Qaeda members were able to purchase them freely when the restrictions were not yet in place. The coalition attack aircraft were not authorized to fire on anyone wearing it, hence providing enemy forces with the same protection accorded to ISAF personnel. Illegal distribution, however, still occurs and their popularity with those who engage in airsoft led to the development of replica versions that are not infrared receptive.


American flag patches, both in full and subdued colors are available through the online military store, MillitaryUniformSupply.com. Military personnel authorized to wear infrared flag patches can find the Infrared Reverse American Flag in Tan and Black and the Infrared Reverse OD American Flag, an olive drab infrared flag patch, at MillitaryUniformSupply.com. Both GI issued infrared patches, feature a reverse reflective flag and are attached with hook fasteners. They come in the same size of 2 1/8” x 3 ½” with the US flag is clearly visible under IR light illumination. Reverse Flag Patch Foliage Green in sew on type or Velcro are also available as well as a forward facing Gray on Black American Flag Patch with hook.