Also called beret flashes, organizational flashes are worn centered on the stiffener of one of four colored berets, each representing a specific type of Army unit. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regimen, 3rd Battalion flash is worn on a maroon beret to denote the Battalion’s Airborne status; other berets include green for Special Forces, tan for Ranger, and brown for Security Assistance Command/Brigade. (Black berets are a standard clothing bag issue item the standard Army flash worn on it is not related to any specific unit types or organizations.)
The device worn centered on an organizational flash varies depending upon the rank of the wearer or, in very rare cases, the wearer’s assignment.
| Rank/Assignment | Device |
| Officer/CWO | Non-subdued insignia of grade |
| NCO/Junior Enlisted | DUI/RDI* |
| Sgt. Maj. of the Army & Staff | Collar Insignia |
| SEAC♦ | Collar Insignia |
* RDI is worn if unit has no DUI
♦ Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of StaffOfficially known as an Airborne background trimming, an oval is worn beneath the Parachutist or Air Assault badge earned by someone serving in a unit that the Army has classified as “Airborne” or “Air Assault.” The main portion of the badge is centered on the oval, but the star and star-wreath of the Senior and Master Parachutist badges will necessarily project above the trim.
Ovals are worn on the shirts and coats of the AGSU and ASU, including the coat of the ASU Dress variation but not the shirt of the Class B AGSU; they are also authorized for female Soldiers wearing the blue or green Army Maternity Tunic. The two items are considered one for determining maximum number of badges on a uniform, and wearers use the edge of the trim (or the top of the aforementioned star or star/wreath) as the start point when measuring distances for placement purposes.
Both the flash and oval have been worn since 1993. Wear guidance for both organizational flashes and Airborne background trimming is found paragraph 21-32 of DA Pam 670-1.
Constituted at the same time as the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the 3rd Battalion fought in the Armed Forces Expeditions in Grenada and Panama before making its first deployment to Southwest Asia in 1990-1991 when it fought in two of the three campaigns in the Persian Gulf War. Since the launch of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion has fought in nine campaigns (three in Afghanistan and six in Iraq) and its service recognized with a Valorous Unit Award, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, and an Air Force Meritorious Unit Award.
As of June 2021, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is based at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. It is is equipped with MH-47 Chinook heavy assault helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawk medium assault helicopters.