The present invention resides in an infrared identification system for identifying military vehicles as friendly or hostile. The infrared identification system includes a seed introduction system, in each friendly vehicle, that introduces trace quantities of a particular seed formulation into the vehicle's exhaust. An infrared detection system, also in each friendly vehicle, detects the spectrally-discrete thermal emissions of the seed formulation to identify those vehicles having the thermal emissions as friendly. The infrared identification system provides rapid and positive friend or foe identification of land, sea and air vehicles at long ranges without being jammed, intercepted or mimicked.