Grupo de Acción Rápida

Grupo de Acción Rápida (GAR) (English: Rapid Action Group) is the rural police tactical unit of the Spanish Civil Guard (Spanish: Guardia Civil).[3][4]

Rapid Action Group
Grupo de Acción Rápida (Spanish)
Active1982–present[1]
CountrySpain
AgencyGuardia Civil
TypePolice tactical unit
Part ofJefatura de Unidades Especiales y de Reserva[2]
HeadquartersLogroño
AbbreviationGAR
Structure
AgentsApprox. 500[3]
CompaniesFour[1]
Commanders
Current
commander		Lieutenant Colonel Jesús Gayoso Rey[3]

Tracing its origins to the Unidad Antiterrorista Rural (UAR) formed in April 1978.[5] The Grupo Antiterrorista Rural was formed in 1982 and later renamed to Grupo de Acción Rápida.[1] It is based in Logroño.[6]

Initially aimed to counter ETA, since 1998 it has re-oriented towards international deployments, taking part in NATO, United Nations and European Union missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Haiti and the Central African Republic.[6]

Applicants to GAR have to complete over five months of training with between 25% and 30% completing the course.[7]

Firearms used include the Heckler & Koch USP Compact 9×19mm, Heckler & Koch MP5 9×19mm and the Heckler & Koch HK417 7.62×51mm respectively.

Members of the unit during the staging of a mannequin challenge video.

References
  1. "Unidad de Acción Rural de la Guardia Civil (UAR)". Guardia Civil (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. "Operations Division". Guardia Civil (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  3. Molpereces, Diego; Martínez, Javier (23 November 2017). "Un día de maniobras con los GAR, el grupo antiterrorista de élite de la Guardia Civil". Voz Pópuli. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  4. "Special Operations Force returns to the desert with Exercise Flintlock". Ministry of Defence (Press release). 24 February 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  5. "Grupo de Acción Rápida (GAR)". Guardia Civil (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  6. Vallejo, César; Mahia, Irene (26 October 2015). "G.A.R.: La lucha contra el terrorismo continúa". RTVE. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  7. Villamayor Jimenez, Valentin (December 1999). "The Terrorist Fighters". KFOR Chronicle. NATO Kosovo Force. p. 11. Retrieved 25 August 2020.


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