FBI May Move Elite Training Academy to Alabama
The FBI wants to move one of its elite training academies from Quantico, Virginia, to Huntsville, Alabama, as part of the Trump Administration’s broader plan of moving FBI personnel and resources out of the National Capital Region.
Under a pilot plan proposed by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, the FBI would relocate the National Academy– a ten week training program for local and international law enforcement and federal agents who are not with the FBI– to Huntsville.
Under consideration is the relocation of the training program for new FBI hires as well.
Other parts of the FBI’s Quantico facilities — including the bureau’s Laboratory Division — would remain in Northern Virginia.
Cost Savings or Cost Headache?
According to a senior FBI official, Deputy Director Bongino thinks relocating the academy to Huntsville would make better use of underutilized facilities, as well as more opportunities for advanced training in fighting cyber-crime.
But Virginia politicians are outraged, and point out that Quantico recently received a slew of upgrades.
“This move raises serious questions, starting with why such a relocation is even necessary, and at what cost?” said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Quantico is co-located with other critical FBI and national security assets and before we spend taxpayer dollars on a disruptive and potentially unnecessary move, the Bureau owes Congress and the American people a clear justification for this plan.”
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) also wants answers.
“I am speaking with leadership at the FBI and DOJ to make sure Quantico remains the centerpiece of FBI training now and in the future,” said Governor Youngkin.
The news was met with the opposite reaction by lawmakers from Alabama.
“I’ve been to their facility. It’s brand new. It’s an incredible facility. So it would mean a lot to Alabama to have it,” said Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL).
FBI Decamping from DC
The FBI has been slowly ramping up its presence at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville with plans announced to move 500 employees to Redstone.
An additional 1,000 workers are headed around the country, as FBI Director Kash Patel plans to drastically decrease the amount of FBI workers in the DC area, which currently houses about one-third of the FBI workforce.
“A third of the crime doesn’t happen here, so we’re taking 1,500 of those folks and moving them out,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Every state is getting a plus up.”
The Director also said the FBI will vacate the J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown DC, although a new headquarters site remains up in the air, with plans to build it in Greenbelt, Maryland, on hold.