In one of his first official field visits as FBI Director, Kash Patel toured the bureau’s growing “HQ 2” campus at Redstone Arsenal alongside U.S. Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville on Wednesday with a clear message: Huntsville is not just the future of the FBI — it’s already central to its mission.
The visit comes at a turning point for Alabama’s opportunity to expand its home to the federal government workforce, including a forthcoming announcement about the headquarters of U.S. Space Command.
After touring FBI Redstone’s state-of-the-art intelligence and cyber facilities, Patel celebrated that more than 500 FBI personnel will move to Huntsville by the end of the year, with plans already underway for another major wave of permanent staff as two additional buildings come online by 2027 — enough space for 1,500–1,600 more.
“The Redstone Arsenal is one of the gems in the FBI crown jewel. It truly is.”
“One of the things that we’ve been working on together is to tackle violent crime across the country. But in order to do that, you need a place for people and experts to train — that’s right here in Redstone,” Patel said.
“You need a place for people to live in a community that’s safe — that’s right here in the State of Alabama, right here in Huntsville. These Senators have been working tirelessly to shine the light on what Redstone Arsenal has been doing, and so I’m so appreciative that they let me come down and visit it with them.”
For both Britt and Tuberville, the visit was the culmination of intense advocacy. From confirmation hearings to private letters and public attention, Alabama’s Senate delegation worked hard for Patel to make today’s visit a priority.
“During the confirmation process, I talked to Director Patel about the incredible work being done here in Huntsville,” said Britt (R-Montgomery) who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I asked him directly in his hearing to come see it for himself — and today, he’s here. This is one of his very first trips as Director, and that speaks volumes.”
“It is imperative that the FBI get back to doing its job keeping Americans safe and secure,” Britt added. “That is exactly what FBI Director cash Patel has made his number one priority. Let good cops be cops, getting back to law enforcement, making sure tackling the opioid epidemic and that we are giving people faith again in this department that serves them.”
Tuberville (R-Auburn) praised the work that began under former U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, crediting him with the vision to bring the FBI to Redstone in the first place.
“This all started back several years ago, when Senator Shelby saw the foresight of coming, bringing FBI to Redstone Arsenal,” Tuberville said. “He had the ability to see how cyber was going to affect our country and worldwide. And so he started the process of appropriating enough money to do something behind the wall here, and get the FBI started in the right direction. And it has really blossomed.”
“I don’t know if you have seen it — it’s a great secret, if you hadn’t seen it. It is beautiful buildings. They’re about maybe 60–70% finished, and it’s going to go about three more years of building. So a lot of things happening for the FBI here.”
Tuberville also made light of the broader growth the project is bringing to North Alabama.
“If you’re a home builder, you’re in the right business,” he said, pointing to Huntsville’s population growth. “There’s a lot more families moving here from the FBI.”
Redstone Arsenal is already home to U.S. Army commands and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, but the ongoing FBI expansion in concert with the all-but-guaranteed development of U.S. Space Command’s headquarters, Huntsville is being cemented as a total powerhouse of the federal government workforce.
RELATED: Could FBI’s Redstone ‘HQ2’ replace D.C. office?
Patel said that the move to Huntsville isn’t just about space — it’s about unmatched capabilities.
“Everyone knows about Quantico and its storied history, where new agents go, where new Intel analysts go,” Patel said. “But agents and Intel analysts don’t stop training there. They get expertise in places like Redstone Arsenal, because these facilities can’t be replicated and built elsewhere. And so we’re sending people with experience not only here to train on a temporary basis — we’re sending them here permanently to do the work that requires that expertise and then take that expertise out to the field.”
RELATED: FBI Redstone HQ was fully funded in 2023, despite reports it was cut from 2024 budget
Patel said that Redstone will host not only domestic FBI units, but will become a training hub for interagency and international partners.
“So we have one of the things that we were talking about during the confirmation process — in what we call the National Capital Region, there’s about 11,000 full-time FBI employees, give or take, and there’s 38,000 in the entire force. But violent crime isn’t just in the National Capital Region. And so we’re not just talking about what we say 1811 brick agents – we’re also talking intel analysts, support staff and specialists, and those are all going to move here based on what the mission is.”
“And they’re going to do the thing that Coach and Senator Britt said — we’re going to get after violent crime, we’re going to crush down the narcotics trade, we’re going to seal up our borders, but we’re also going to train our interagency partners, and we’re going to train our international partners,” Director Patel said.
Patel concluded by sharing a reciprocal promise that Britt and Tuberville made to him.
“I’m humbled to be with you, Katie and you, Coach. And I made them promise me one thing: I got to go to an Alabama-Auburn game with them,” Patel said. “But I’m not going to pick a side on who’s winning.”
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
