The
Brigada Especial Operativa Halcón (
BEOH; Hawk Special Operations Brigade) is a
special operationsSpecial operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
division of the Buenos Aires Police in
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
.
Argentina did not possess a viable
counter-terroristCounter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed....
capability until 1978, when it hosted the football World Cup. At that time, the military dictatorship ruling Argentina accepted the possibility that such a widely-televised event was a likely forum for a
terroristTerrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.At present, there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism...
incident.
The
Brigada Especial Operativa Halcón (
BEOH; Hawk Special Operations Brigade) is a
special operationsSpecial operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
division of the Buenos Aires Police in
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
.
Argentina did not possess a viable
counter-terroristCounter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed....
capability until 1978, when it hosted the football World Cup. At that time, the military dictatorship ruling Argentina accepted the possibility that such a widely-televised event was a likely forum for a
terroristTerrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.At present, there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism...
incident. The result was the formation of a special counter-terrorist team, the
Brigada Halcón.
Today, the unit is made up of seventy-five commandos, subdivided into fifteen-man tactical teams. Each team has two
sniperA sniper is a highly trained marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles...
s, one medic, one negotiator, an
explosive ordnance disposalBomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
expert, a communications specialist, an intelligence specialist, and eight tactical assaulters.
Initial training is divided into three two-month stages. Skills such as combat shooting, heliborne insertion,
HALO/HAHO parachutingHALO/HAHO are acronyms that describe methods of delivering personnel, equipment, and supplies from a transport aircraft at a high altitude via free-fall parachute insertion...
,
explosivesAn explosive material is a substance that either is chemically or otherwise energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material after initiation, usually accompanied by the production of heat and large changes in pressure . This event is called the explosion...
, sniping,
intelligence gatheringIntelligence refers to discrete information with currency and relevance, and the abstraction, evaluation, and understanding of such information for its accuracy and value...
,
martial artsMartial arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat...
, and offensive
drivingDriving is the controlled operation of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus. Although direct operation of a bicycle, a mounted animal or a motorcycle is commonly called riding, such operators are usually legally considered to be drivers and are required to obey...
are covered in this period. The unit also handles VIP protection and is also responsible for hijacked aircraft throughout the nation. While many current members are veterans of the
Argentine ArmyThe Argentine Army is the land armed force branch of the Argentine military and the senior military service of the country.- History :...
, the
Brigada Halcón is under the operational control of the
federal policeThe Policía Federal Argentina is a police force of the Argentine federal government. The PFA has detachments throughout the country, but its main responsibilty is policing the 3 million population of the Federal District of Buenos AIres...
, under the direct command of the Buenos Aires Police Department.
Brigada Halcón members use foreign weapons and gear, as well as locally manufactured protective gear and uniforms. Weapons include: GLOCK 17, HK MP5,
M4 CarbineThe M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 assault rifle, achieving 80% parts commonality with the M16A2...
, HK UMP,
M16A2M16A2 is a designation for two pieces of military hardware:* M16A2 rifle* M16A2 mine...
and the
Franchi SPAS-12The SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun that was manufactured by the Italian firearms company Franchi S.p.A. from 1979 to 2000.-Overview:The Franchi SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, meaning it can be used as a semi-automatic or pump-action firearm...
shotgun. For sniping purposes the
Heckler & Koch G3 GS/1The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
is commonly used.
This special operations group was involved in the "
Ramallo massacreThe Ramallo massacre occurred on September 17, 1999 in Ramallo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, when three armed persons went into the local offices of the Banco de la Nación Argentina, taking six hostages. After several hours, they tried to escape in a car, using the bank manager and an accountant as...
", when operatives from the
Brigada Halcón shot dead one alleged bank robber and his two hostages.
See also
- Grupo Alacrán
The Grupo Alacrán is a special operations service of the Argentine National Gendarmerie, often referred as the Equipo Antiterrorista de Gendarmería . The division is headquartered in Evita City and responds to high-risk and counterterrorist situations throughout Argentina, but primarily in the...
- Grupo Albatros
The Grupo Albatros is a special operations service of the Prefectura Naval Argentina. Located in the province of Buenos Aires, it conducts river and maritime operations in the lakes and rivers and anything close to the coast line...
- Grupo Especial de Operaciones Federales
The Grupo Especial de Operaciones Federales is a special operations division of the Argentine Federal Police trained to strategically perform counterterrorist and counternarcotics missions...
- Compañía de Tropas de Operaciones Especiales
Compañía de Tropas de Operaciones Especiales is the premier special operations force of the Santa Fe Province Police, Argentina....
- Policía Federal Argentina
The Policía Federal Argentina is a police force of the Argentine federal government. The PFA has detachments throughout the country, but its main responsibilty is policing the 3 million population of the Federal District of Buenos AIres...