COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was joined by soldiers and airmen this week for a simulated interagency nuclear forensics training mission, during 'Exercise Prominent Hunt 2026' in Colorado Springs.
The training ran from June 8 through June 12.
Prominent Hunt is an annual full-scale training that has been conducted every year since 2012, led by the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Ground Collection Task Force.
The FBI says that it is the only federal agency with the jurisdiction and ability to investigate a nuclear incident, including evidence collection that could be useful in court.
The Task Force is responsible for collecting nuclear debris near the nuclear detonation site for analysis in a laboratory. It's comprised of FBI members, the Department of War, and the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration.
“Exercises like Prominent Hunt are crucial for the FBI and our partners: To be prepared to respond to a threat, we must practice our response together."
“These trainings help us identify the gaps, and they help us work out the kinks. They allow us to understand the resources and processes each of us as stakeholders brings to the table. And ultimately, they help us work better together to defend the homeland if and when there is a nuclear incident.”
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command soldiers in Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, and Air Force Technical Application Center (AFTAC) airmen at Patrick Space Force Base, FL, supported the exercise.
Scientists and members of the Technical Hazards Response Unit, members of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Office of Nuclear Forensics, and the Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation were also sent to the exercise.
The goal of the exercise was to gather and package simulated samples of radioactive fallout so partner agencies could find the source of radiation.
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