As part of the FBIs 30th anniversary special on their Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), I recently posted an article that included a recent video of the unit in training which can be found here: FBIs Hostage Rescue Team Marks 30th Anniversary

Part 2 and 3 of the HRT special have been recently released that includes information on their selection and training process which the FBI has historically kept a tight lid on.

HRT selection is held once a year where FBI special agents from field offices around the nation flock to Quantico, Virginia for a chance to successfully meet the standards and earn a coveted spot on one of the three tactical teams within HRT. The unit is not only very selective but also incredibly small as only 300 special agents have been chosen to serve on HRT since the unit’s inception in 1983.

Selection (2 Weeks)

The selection course is two weeks long designed to induce physical and mental stress on the candidates. Similar to a military special operations course, HRT instructors are looking to see how candidates work as individuals and as team-members when they are taken to the point of exhaustion due to lack of sleep (sometimes 1-2 hours a night) and physical exertion. Day one starts off with a pre-dawn physical fitness test that includes running, swimming, and stair-climbing with a 55-pound vest and a 35-pound battering ram.