Secret Service Counter Assault Team

Before 1979, Secret Service vehicle convoys for VIPs in high-risk situations included a large sedan known as the "muscle car" in which five or six Secret Service special agents armed with sub-machine guns rode. The "muscle car" team was an ad hoc contingent drawn from special agents working at a local Secret Service office, as opposed to those regularly assigned to protective duties. They were instructed, in the event of an attack against the convoy, to lay down a barrage of suppressive fire against the source of the attack so as to allow the dignitary's vehicle the opportunity to escape without being pursued or blockaded. In 1979, the Secret Service formalized the counter-assault team program with permanently assigned, specially trained operators. ==Operations==

Selection and training Members of the counter-assault team are Secret Service special agents who have completed an initial eight-month course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, and have successfully served several years in the Secret Service. Upon selection, CAT operators undergo an additional seven weeks of specialized training, including in counter-ambush tactics and close quarters combat. Applications to join the team are competitive, and physical requirements for entry include the demonstrated ability to do three pull-ups wearing a weighted vest and to complete a run in under nine minutes. Approximately ten percent of applicants are ultimately selected. with the Counter Assault Team in the vehicle in bottom right Equipment Typically, CAT members deploy in black battle dress uniforms. Each member not otherwise assigned a heavier weapon is equipped with a SR-16 rifle, a SIG Sauer P229 pistol, and flash-bang grenades. ==See also==