For the first time a member of the F.B.I.Us elite Hostage Rescue Team--its most highly trained and specialized squadron that handles large-scale emergencies in the U.S.--reveals his experiences, describing in breathtaking detail the brutal training, the weapons and tactics, and the dramatic showdowns that marked many of his missions, including Ruby Ridge and Waco.
'The Hostage Rescue Manual' is a comprehensive, illustrated source on the dynamic operations which have saved hundreds of lives in hostage situations around the world. It is based on strategies that have proved successful in numerous incidents, including the landmark SAS rescue at Prince's Gate, London, and is compiled by an author with intimate and practical knowledge of the field. The success of a rescue is often determined in the hours leading up to confrontation. Once an incident has been 'contained', a large share of the responsibility for a successful conclusion rests with the hostage negotiator, whose job it is to save the lives of both hostage and hostage-taker. But if negotiations fail, it becomes necessary to send in the hostage-rescue team to resolve the situation by force and skill. 'The Hostage Rescue Manual' explains the complex factors that determine the entry methods undertaken by a team, with discussion of the pros and cons of stealth versus dynamic approaches, plus the significance of distraction in securing successful site entry. Operations in widely differing locations, from nuclear power plants to airliners are detailed, as are the range of special weapons available to the men and women tackling each incident. We learn of the multiple roles played by participants, such as the use of snipers as intelligence sources. With vivid photographs and diagrams of rescue units in action, this is the complete reference work on counter-terrorist procedures all over the world. This revised edition brings the book completely up to date with an entirely new section devoted to developments in hostage rescue since first publication, among them operations in Russia and Iraq. AUTHOR: Leroy Thompson is one of the world's leading authorities on special army and police units. He is the author of more than ten other books and numerous articles. He lives in the USA. SELLING POINTS: * Reveals the secrets of hostage rescue * Gives actual examples involving different sites and weapons * Demonstrates hostage strategies used in real-life incidents * Written by a world-renowned author with extensive experience in the field * Complete reference work on counter-terrorist procedures all over the world Fully illustrated with photographs and diagrams of rescue units at work
The Hostage Rescue Manual is a comprehensive, illustrated source on the dynamic operations which have saved hundreds of lives in hostage situations around the world. It is based on strategies that have proved successful in numerous incidents, including the landmark SAS rescue at Prince's Gate, London, and is compiled by an author with intimate and practical knowledge of the field.
When the lives of hostages are on the line, the soldiers of elite hostage-rescue units must act quickly and with skill. In a chaotic situation, soldiers must rely on their training, and each other, to save lives in danger. Take a look at how elite hostage-rescue units operate. Find out about the equipment that elite soldiers use and the training they must undergo. Learn about the different skills elite soldiers use, including: • fast-entry tactics through doors and windows using explosives. • building attacks using assault ladders and mountain-climbing techniques. • rescues from inside an aircraft. • negotiation techniques to calm a situation. • clues that tell when a terrorist is lying.
Operation Eagle Claw was tactically feasible, operationally vacant, and strategically risky. This paper examines the failed hostage rescue mission conducted by the U.S. in Iran during April of 1980. The following text will recreate the rescue mission in its historical context while identifying factors across the three levels of war which contributed to its outcome. The three levels of war referred to in this discussion are the tactical, operational and strategic levels. This study concludes that (1) The fall of the Shah unearthed a gap in U.S. military influence in the Middle East which could not rapidly be overcome; (2) the hostage rescue mission, although tied directly to the strategic objective of returning the 53 American hostages, provided little influence in terms of salvaging U.S. honor and interests in the Middle East. In reality, it is probable that mission failure protracted eventual diplomatic resolution of the crisis; (3) the hostage rescue mission, a limited objective and high risk raid, should only have been executed in the event that hostages lives were directly threatened; and (4) since 1961, sixty-six separate hostage, kidnapping, or hijacking incidents have occurred involving U.S. diplomats, servicemen, and private citizens. The frequency of these actions equate to 1.6 per year over the past 41 years. This data demonstrates the relevancy of the subject and the frequency of its occurrence.
Scholarly, multidisciplinary, and iconoclastic, this book provides a comprehensive study of human behaviour in organisational setting, discusses the theory and principles of self-organisation, elaborates the strengths of self-organisation over command organisation, and gives a complete roadmap to set up and sustain in any culture and society an exceptionally capable hostage rescue force specialising in mass hostage rescue. However, its numerous valuable insights, relying not on technology but people and employing the force of their intrinsic motivation, are not relevant to the niche of special forces and wider military context alone but can be employed across all occupational settings to build highly efficient organisations where people work voluntarily and deliver responsibly without the supervision and control of command element. Beyond formal organisations, all fields of human activities, including the private lives of individuals too can immensely benefit from radical ideas and useful information contained in it. Besides discussing the deeper questions of life as a whole, of organisational life in general, of mass hostage rescue in particular, and of character, culture, environment, leadership, and communication, it also elaborately explains how we make decisions in crisis, who is an expert and how one can become an expert, how do we learn and how we can learn better, what makes us commit errors and mistakes, what lies behind our failures, and how we can deal with errors and failures both as individuals and organisations. About Author: Avichal is an Indian police officer who has been associated with the world of special forces as a practitioner, instructor, designer, administrator, institution builder, and adviser for over two decades and has operated and trained in many countries of the world.
In May 1980, the Joint Chiefs of Staff commissioned a Special Operations Review Group to conduct a broad examination of the planning, organization, coordination, direction, and control of the Iranian hostage rescue mission, as a basis for recommending improvement in these areas for the future. The Review Group consisted of six senior military officers three who had retired after distinguished careers, and three still on active duty. The broad military experience of the group gave it an appropriate perspective from which to conduct an appraisal. Details on the participants, the Terms of Reference they operated under, and their approach to the subject are contained in this document. The Review Group has made its final report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Copies have been forwarded to the Secretary of Defense, as have the related, early recommendations of the Joint Chiefs. A highly classified report also has been transmitted to appropriate committees in the Congress. Because it is important that as much detail as possible be made available to the American public, the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has conducted a declassification review to produce this version. The issues and findings have been retained in as close a form as possible to the original, classified version. In particular, the Executive Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations remain virtually the same as in the original.
Why did a handful of Iranian students seize the American embassy in Tehran in November 1979? Why did most members of the US government initially believe that the incident would be over quickly? Why did the Carter administration then decide to launch a rescue mission, and why did it fail so spectacularly? US Foreign Policy and the Iran Hostage Crisis examines these puzzles and others, using an analogical reasoning approach to decision-making, a theoretical perspective which highlights the role played by historical analogies in the genesis of foreign policy decisions. Using interviews with key decision-makers on both sides, Houghton provides an analysis of one of the United States' greatest foreign policy disasters, the events of which continue to poison relations between the two states. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of foreign policy analysis and international relations.
Retired Special Agent James McGee offers readers a first-hand account of what it's like to be on the inside of one of the world's most elite counter-terrorism teams. On par with the British SAS and the Navy SEALs, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team is a group of highly trained men willing to sacrifice their own lives to save the lives of others. In 1991, a violent group of Cuban inmates in the Federal Correctional Institute in Talladega, Alabama, overpowered their guards and took hostages, demanding not to be deported to Cuba. As days wore on and tension escalated, the hostage takers threatened to start killing hostages. But the FBI HRT exists for just such situations. Witness the preparation and anticipation as the Team reaches Phase Line Green.
The focus of this book is on dealing with hostage and crisis negotiations and how this can be successfully accomplished in order to save lives. Typically, those encountered by correctional and law enforcement crisis negotiators fall into one of three broad categories: The Bad, the Mad, and the Sad – or, those with antisocial personality disorder; those who are severely mentally ill, insane or psychotic; or those who are contemplating suicide, respectively. This book outlines tactics and procedures for dealing with these three groups of individuals. Many excerpts will be found of siege dialogue and behind-the-scenes efforts of those in the command post and other locations whose efforts and energies play an integral role in this life-saving process. Some topics discussed include how using sleep deprivation should be avoided by hostage and crisis negotiators and how it can be used to advantage against the culprits; and how active listening skills (ALS) can be utilized and the mechanics of the process. These ALS guidelines show how being not only a good interviewer but also a good listener can be used to find a remedy to the situation. Team roles and responsibilities are also discussed in some detail. Using “hooks,” or topics/persons that can be used to extract the subject from the crisis, and “hot buttons,” or topics/persons that should be avoided from discussion, is also examined. Several “Lessons Learned” sections are also included after the dialogues, outlining what was learned and achieved in the process and which pitfalls should be avoided. Crisis negotiations has also been included in the book because a growing number of subjects with whom crisis negotiators deal are not holding hostages. While it is not the purpose of this text to review all tactics and techniques of the negotiations process, many examples are provided of what does work and, on occasion, what does not. It will prove to be a very useful tool to corrections and police negotiators and crisis interveners who seek peaceful ends to these very volatile and dangerous situations.
