ARMY RANGERS GET NEW BERET.(MAIN)

Byline: Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- In a concession to the elite Rangers, the Army has approved their request to switch the color of their distinctive beret -- to tan from the black that is going to be the standard-issue beret color for most of the rest of Army starting in June.

The decision appeared to settle the major element of a controversy that prompted President Bush to ask Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for a review.

As a result of Bush's request, the Pentagon is still studying whether the Army erred in contracting with Chinese and other non-American manufacturers to supply the black berets.

For years, the black beret has …