The Federal Bureau of Investigation is exploring the possibility of relocating its National Academy, a premier law enforcement training program, from its longstanding home in Quantico, Virginia, to Huntsville, Alabama, according to a report from the Alabama Reflector and one from The Washington Post.
The idea to move the National Academy is part of a broader effort under the Trump administration to shift elements of the FBI’s operations out of the Washington, D.C., region and expand its presence at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. According to The Washington Post, the plan is being led by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino as a proposed pilot initiative.
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The National Academy is a 10-week leadership training program for local, federal, and international law enforcement officers, many of whom are nominated by their agencies. It is separate from the FBI’s training program for new agents, which, along with the bureau’s laboratory division and other core operations, would remain at Quantico under the current proposal.
FBI officials have stated that site decisions will be based on cost and utility, although no final decision has been announced. Critics within the bureau have questioned the necessity and cost of the move, citing recent upgrades to the Quantico facilities and concerns that comparable infrastructure would require significant new investment in Huntsville.
As part of a larger decentralization strategy, FBI Director Kash Patel has outlined intentions to relocate as many as 1,500 FBI employees from the agency’s downtown Washington headquarters to satellite offices across the country. Under that plan, approximately 500 of those positions would be assigned to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, which serves as one of the bureau’s major operational hubs.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle responded favorably to the possibility of expansion, noting that an increased training presence at Redstone Arsenal aligns with long-term plans for FBI operations in the city.
The FBI already employs around 1,500 people in Huntsville, where it relocated its explosives training academy in 2016. The city is also home to the bureau’s satellite headquarters at Redstone Arsenal, which has played a growing role in cyber operations and technological innovation. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray previously stated that the Huntsville campus was developed to alleviate overcrowding at the Hoover Building in Washington and to provide geographic redundancy for national security purposes.
According to The Washington Post, relocating the National Academy is consistent with that strategy and could help mitigate risks from potential disruptions in the capital region.
The potential move has prompted concern from some Virginia officials. State Delegate Candi Mundon King of Prince William County, where Quantico is located, warned that any downsizing of FBI operations could harm the local economy.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also expressed skepticism, urging congressional scrutiny of the proposal. He emphasized the value of co-locating the training academy with other national security assets at Quantico.
The FBI has not set a public timeline for when a decision on the National Academy’s relocation might be made.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
