The Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) is the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's counterterrorism tactical unit.

The Hostage Rescue Team was founded in 1982 in preparation for the Los Angeles Olympic Games, as a response to possible terrorist actions as occurred at the Munich Games. The HRT became part of the Critical Incident Response Group upon its formation in 1994 as a result of the need to consolidate the assets necessary to respond to a critical incident in one group. Its purpose was, and still is, to serve as a domestic counterrorism unit, to offer a tactical resolution option in hostage and high risk law enforcement situations. It originally comprised 50 operators, and this number has increased since. The members of the HRT are among the most highly trained and best-equipped tactical personnel in the world, although they have rarely been called upon to fulfil their original mandate of rescuing hostages. The HRT commonly functions as a super-SWAT team in highly sensitive or dangerous situations.

The HRT is known to train with units such as SFOD-D (otherwise known as Delta Force), France's GIGN, Britain's SAS, and other international units.

The operators of the HRT are selected on a strictly volunteer basis after successful completion of an extremely rigourous and demanding two week selection tryout. After a four-month initial training period, they are headquartered at the FBI Academy, Quantico. In 2003, members of the HRT were deployed on more than 200 missions, including to Afghanistan and Iraq.

The HRT was a participant in the famous incidents at Ruby Ridge and Waco, as well as at the hostage rescues of prison guards at Talledaga, AL, and St. Martinville, LA.

See also

• SWAT
• STAR

Further reading

• Christopher Whitcomb, Cold Zero: inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (2001) ISBN 0316601039