Between 1976 and 1997, personnel serving in the United States Air Force’s Security Police wore blue berets with the crest of the Major Command (MAJCOM) to which they were assigned. With the establishment of the Security Forces in 1997,
Security Forces were issued their own distinct flash to wear on the blue berets featuring a design inspired by the heraldry of the insignia of the 820th Security Forces Group—a falcon guarding an airfield below it and the Security Forces motto of “Defensor Fortis” (“Defenders of the Force”) underneath it.
Today, MAJCOM crests are worn by Security Forces personnel only on the ascot that is part of the Security Forces dress uniform or the Airman's Battle Uniform.
According to the Command Historian of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the blue background of the NORAD shield, which serves as the basis for the crest, represents the sky; the green around the continents symbolizes oceans; and yellow denotes land mass. Combined, they represent the three areas—land, sea, and sky—in which the defense of North America must be conducted.
Silver wings sheltering the globe symbolizes the protective power and might of the Armed Forces tasked with defending the continent and reflect the worldwide scope of NORAD’s mission. An upright sword points to the Northern skies, indicating the shortest approach an aggressor could take when launching an attack and connoting NORAD’s constant vigilance in that region. Two lightning flashes being discharged by the sword are an emblem of the immediate response NORAD is prepared to deliver in the event of enemy aggression.