COLORADO SPRINGS—Soldiers and airmen joined the FBI to train for a simulated interagency nuclear forensics mission during Exercise Prominent Hunt 2026 in Colorado Springs June 8-12.
Prominent Hunt is an annual full-scale interagency training exercise that the U.S. government has conducted since 2012. This is an exercise of the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Ground Collection Task Force, which would support the investigation and attribution of a nuclear detonation. The FBI is the only federal agency with jurisdiction and capabilities to investigate a nuclear incident, including collecting evidence that might be used in an eventual prosecution.
The Task Force mission is to collect nuclear debris samples near the site of a nuclear detonation for analysis at the national laboratories. The Task Force is composed of members of the FBI, 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,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski. “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.”
Soldiers from Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; and airmen from Air Force Technical Application Center (AFTAC) at Patrick Space Force Base, Fla., supported the FBI-led exercise. The FBI Laboratory sent scientists and members of the Technical Hazards Response Unit. Other partners were the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Office of Nuclear Forensics and the Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation.
During this exercise, the NTNF Ground Collection Task Force gathered and packaged simulated samples of radioactive fallout so partner agencies could determine the source of the radiation.
Nuclear forensics capabilities support the President’s objective of preventing terrorists from developing, acquiring, or using radiological or nuclear weapons by deterring states and other entities from aiding terrorists. By helping to identify perpetrators, nuclear forensics enables the U.S. Government to hold fully accountable any state, terrorist group, or other nonstate actor that supports terrorist efforts to obtain or employ nuclear devices. These trainings and investigations support the FBI mission to defend the homeland and support the American people.