WASHINGTON – FBI Director Kash Patel made good on his promise to U.S. Sen. Katie Britt Wednesday with a tour of Redstone Arsenal, as the new director has committed to bringing 500 jobs to Huntsville by the end of the year.
Patel joined Britt and fellow Sen. Tommy Tuberville for a visit to the FBI facilities.
“I just want to let America know, part of the move to get FBI agents and intel analysts and support staff out in the field is going to come right through Redstone Arsenal,” Patel told local reporters during a press conference. “We’re going to put more and more and more people here on a permanent basis from the FBI.”
During his confirmation process, Patel committed to Britt, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to visit the bureau’s facilities at Redstone. He was confirmed in February.
“Today was a great day to get to look at where we are and where we are going to go in the future,” Britt said during Wednesday’s press conference. “Director Patel is committed to making sure that the great work that is done here in Huntsville not only expands but continues to help keep Americans safe from coast to coast.”
The day Patel was sworn in to lead the FBI, he announced the bureau would move 500 employees to Huntsville, where more than 2,000 are already located. The announcement came just a day after Britt and Tuberville urged Patel to fill 1,000 of about 4,000 open slots at the agency’s facilities at Redstone.
“This is a big part of his puzzle here at Redstone Arsenal, and that is the reason we’re here today for him to see what he has inherited and will inherit in the future, because it’s going to continue to grow,” Tuberville said at the press conference.
Patel touted Redstone’s capabilities and facilities that could be used to train interagency and international partners, he said.
“One of the things that we’ve been working on together is to tackle violent crime across the country,” Patel said. “But in order to do that, you need a place for people and experts to train, that’s right here in Redstone. 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.”
Patel toured the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center and the Ballistic Research Facility. He and the senators also received a demonstration on the FBI’s use of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems and drones.