Hostage Rescue Team
| Hostage Rescue Team | |||||
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| Abbreviation | HRT | ||||
Patch of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team
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| Motto | "Servare Vitas" (English: To Save Lives) |
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| Agency overview | |||||
| Formed | August, 1983 | ||||
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency | ||||
| Jurisdictional structure | |||||
| National agency | United States | ||||
| Governing body | Government of United States | ||||
| General nature | |||||
| Specialist jurisdiction | Counter terrorism, special weapons and tactics, protection of VIPs. | ||||
| Operational structure | |||||
| Overviewed by | Critical Incident Response Group | ||||
| Headquarters |
FBI Academy MCB Quantico, Virginia, U.S. |
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| Operators | ~ 300 | ||||
| Parent agency |
 Federal Bureau of Investigation
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| People |
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The FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) is the counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. The HRT is trained to rescue American citizens and allies who are held hostage by hostile forces, usually terrorists and/or criminals. 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.
It was originally composed of 50 operators, later increased to over 90. The HRT commonly functions as a high-level national SWAT team in extremely sensitive or dangerous situations. 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 was originally conceived during the late 1970s, and was set up after FBI director William H. Webster witnessed a demonstration by the U.S. Army's Delta Force. When Webster reviewed the equipment used by the Delta Force and noticed there were no handcuffs, he inquired about it. An operator grimly replied, "We put two rounds in their forehead. The dead don't need handcuffs." The HRT was originally to be an augmented SWAT and counter-terrorist team, 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. Final approval for the HRT was given in early 1982, and formal planning began in March that year. The initial HRT selection course was held in June 1982 and consisted of three groups of 30 candidates each. Most candidates were experienced SWAT team members. Of this group, 50 candidates were selected to continue to more advanced training.
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