#Fbi hostage rescue team code#

After the NEST aircraft confirmed the location of the device, HRT operators infiltrated the terrorist safe house, secured the device, and managed to 'kill' the terrorist involved in approximately 30 seconds. The 'terrorist' group was also believed to be in possession of a simulated nuclear device, which was at a separate location and had to be recovered or neutralized. During the exercise, the HRT, a local SWAT team, and a United States Department of Energy Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST) were tasked with assaulting a terrorist stronghold.

#Fbi hostage rescue team code#

The team's final certification exercise, code named Operation Equus Red, was held in October 1983 at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The Hostage Rescue Team became operational in August 1983. The team returned to Quantico to further enhance their new abilities and maintain the skills they had acquired at Fort Bragg. The team then traveled to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in February for a month of training and instruction with the US Army's Delta Force. To bring all the newly acquired skills together, the team spent roughly the entire month of January 1983 honing their shooting and tactical skills at Quantico. In addition, nearly everyone was involved with the Delta Force.Īs part of their liaison duties, the men attended training exercises held by their assigned counter-terrorism unit and their shared experiences with the team. Each operator also served as a liaison to one of the existing elite counter-terrorism teams from around the world. After receiving tactical SWAT instruction, each individual was given an expertise to research, such as explosives and breaching tactics. The final touches were added to the facilities just before Thanksgiving 1982 and, after a short holiday break, the team began its initial training program. The building, built entirely out of old tires, would allow the team to conduct live-fire training exercises to enhance their shooting skills. One of its very first projects was the construction of a 'shoot house'. Upon completing its initial selection, the newly formed HRT began acquiring the equipment it considered necessary and upgrading training facilities at Quantico. Of this group, 50 candidates were selected to continue on to more advanced training. Most candidates were experienced SWAT team members. The initial HRT selection course was held in June 1982 and consisted of three groups of 30 candidates each. Final approval for the HRT was given in early 1982, and formal planning began in March of the same year. The team would be capable of handling extraordinary hostage situations, large-scale counter-terrorist operations, situations involving nuclear or biological agents, or operations that local law enforcement or the regional FBI field office were not trained or equipped to handle. The dead don't need handcuffs.' The idea of the HRT began as an augmented SWAT and counter-terrorist team.

An operator grimly replied, 'We put two rounds in their forehead. When Webster reviewed the equipment used by the Delta Force and noticed there were no handcuffs, he inquired about it. Webster witnessed a demonstration by the U.S. The idea for the HRT was originally conceived during the late 1970s, but came to fruition when then FBI director William H. Today, it is part of the Tactical Support Branch of the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) and is based at the FBI Academy at the Quantico Marine Corps Base, in Stafford County, Virginia. The HRT commonly functions as a national SWAT team in highly sensitive or dangerous situations. However, this number has since increased to well over 90 full-time operators. It was originally composed of 50 operators. The HRT's purpose is to serve as a domestic counter-terrorism unit, offering a tactical resolution option in hostage and high-risk law enforcement situations. The Hostage Rescue Team was founded in 1982 by Danny Coulson, former Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI, and completed its final certification exercise in October 1983. The HRT is trained to rescue American citizens and allies who are held by hostile forces, usually terrorists and/or criminals. The FBI Hostage Rescue Team ( HRT) is the counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.