(Guardia Civil)_Su_Majestad_el_Rey_visita_la_Unidad_Especial_de_Intervención_(UEI)

The Unidad Especial de Intervención (UEI) () is the Police Tactical Unit of the

Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the au ...

(), the Spanish gendarmerie.

Overview

UEI was established in 1978 to respond to high risk situations and including those involving hostages. Its motto is ''Celeritas et Subtilitas Patrio''. The exact scope of UEI operations and total number of personnel are not published. In 2008, on the occasion of the Unit's 30th anniversary, its commanding officer revealed that the UEI had until then participated in 375 operations, in which 563 hostages had been freed and 640 people arrested, of whom 141 belonged to terrorist groups. These operations included 11 high-sea missions against drug-trafficking. He also revealed that due to the demanding selection process, of the 26 applicants that had applied to join the Unit that year, only four had been admitted. The Unit has also intervened in 18

prison riots A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners. Prison riots have not been the subject of many academic studies or research inquir ...

involving hostages."La Unidad Especial de Intervención de la Guardia Civil perfecciona las técnicas antiterroristas en ámbito naval"
Spain's Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 19 July 2013. The UEI is part of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

-sponsored ATLAS Network.

Equipment

Uniform

In assaults operations: * Green assault costume with the unit's shield on the right sleeve at shoulder height and the Spanish flag on the left sleeve at shoulder height. * Black balaclava that gives the informal nickname to the unit: black faces. * Bulletproof vest. * Tactical vest, dress on the previous one. * Helmet with ballistic protection visor for urban combat. * Protection of elbows, knees and shin guards. * Boots and gloves. In boarding operations: * Black dry suit of naval intervention with autoinflatable life jacket. Shield and flag on the sleeves. * Black balaclava. * Bulletproof vest. * Tactical vest. * Protection of elbows, knees and shin guards. * ProTec lightweight half-head polyethylene hull. * Boots and gloves. In riot control operations: * Equipment for riot control.

Weapons

These are a few of them: *

Heckler & Koch USP The USP (''Universelle Selbstladepistole'' or "universal self-loading pistol") is a semi-automatic pistol developed in Germany by Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) as a replacement for the P7 series of handguns. History Design work on a new family of p ...

Glock 17 Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...

Gen 3 equipped with a tactical flashlight * Heckler & Koch MP5SD3 *

FN P90 The FN P90 is a compact 5.7×28mm personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. It can also be considered a submachine gun. Created in response to NATO requests for a replacement for 9×19mm Parabellum firearms, th ...

* Heckler & Koch G36K * Heckler & Koch G41 *

Heckler & Koch HK416 The Heckler & Koch HK416 is a gas-operated assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. It is designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch. Although the design is based on the AR-15 class of firearm (specifical ...

Heckler & Koch HK417 The Heckler & Koch HK417 is a battle rifle designed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch. Being the larger caliber version of the Heckler & Koch HK416, and chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO rifle cartridge, it is intended for use where the penet ...

Barrett M82 The Barrett M82 (standardized by the U.S. military as the M107) is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. Also called the Light Fifty (due to its chambering ...

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police, and military rifle since its introduction in th ...

Organization

The Unit is commanded by an active lieutenant colonel of the Civil Guard and its divided on:Unidad Especial de Intervención. Guardia Civil.
* Operative Groups * Technical Support Groups.

References