REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (WHNT) — FBI Director Kash Patel visited Redstone Arsenal with Sen. Katie Britt and Sen. Tommy Tuberville Wednesday.
The visit comes as leadership in the FBI looks to restructure, moving agents away from the Washington D.C. headquarters to other bureau offices. Earlier this year, Patel said he planned to move hundreds of agents to the Huntsville area.
On Wednesday, Patel confirmed 500, full time FBI employees will be transferred to Redstone Arsenal before the end of the year, saying he is committed to moving more jobs from D.C. to Huntsville down the line.
“We are going to put more and more and more people here on a permanent basis from the FBI,” Patel said about Redstone Arsenal.
Patel said the 38,000 acre base has the space to expand, and he believes it has already established cyber, terrorism and explosive resources that will support the FBI’s mission.
“We have two more buildings coming online in 2027 that can have the capacity for 1,500 or 1,600 more people, so we’re going to keep building,” Patel said.
In addition to field agents, Patel said he plans for the transferred employees to include intel analysts, support staff and specialists. Sen. Britt said she believes the personnel and facilities on the Arsenal are ready to support the FBI’s mission, which she describes Wednesday.
“Let good cops be cops, getting back to law enforcement, making sure we’re tackling the opioid epidemic and that we are giving people faith again in this department that serves them,” Britt said.
With the influx of people moving to the Huntsville area, Tuberville said he expects to see more home construction and a positive impact on the local economy. He also said he expects to see a decision made on the permanent location of Space Command soon, which could bring even more workers to the area.
“You can’t put a number on bringing in 500 or 1,000 people,” Tuberville said. “Space Command would be 1,500 to 3,000 families. You can’t put a number on that.”
Tuberville acknowledged the Huntsville area may experience some growing pains. He said the city will have to keep up on infrastructure, like roads, to accommodate the people moving to the area.
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