OAN Staff James Meyers
10:23 AM – Friday, February 28, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 20th, is reportedly aiming to enhance FBI agents’ tactical proficiency and combat readiness.
Advertisement
The training could also enhance agents’ physical fitness.
During his first meeting call with the FBI’s 55 field officer supervisors on Wednesday, Patel floated the idea of bringing in UFC trainers to increase federal agents’ self-defense and martial arts skills.
Patel made the suggestion after he personally examined the protocol of the FBI’s training program.
He began looking into the matter following encouragement from conservative commentator and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, whom President Donald Trump appointed as the FBI’s deputy director, inspiring him to implement a new training regimen.
The president is already known for being a UFC fan, considering the CEO and president of the company, Dana White, a close friend.
However, the bureau has not yet commented on the report, and a UFC spokesperson said that they were “not aware of any information regarding UFC and FBI training.”
The day before Trump was inaugurated in January, White attended a victory rally in Washington, D.C., praising Trump and expressing optimism for what the current administration has planned for the next four years.
“This guy is a winner. And I say this all the time. He’s the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met, and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves,” White said. “He embodies what being an American is all about. We are the most toughest, resilient people on Earth, and nothing can stop us when we unite.”
Trump has not attended a UFC event since taking back the White House, being as busy as he is, but he did attend the most recent Super Bowl and Daytona 500 — earlier this month.
Since being sworn in, Patel has already made big moves, including transferring almost 1,500 FBI employees out of Washington, D.C., and into field offices across the U.S.
During his confirmation hearing, the FBI director pledged to reform public trust in the bureau.
“37% percent of registered voters surveyed said they have a positive view of the FBI, while 35% said they have a negative view. Views of the agency have soured since October 2018, when 52% of Americans had a positive opinion of the FBI and just 18% had a negative view,” according to a 2023 NBC News poll.
Patel also noted that he would “make sure we don’t have 100,000 rapes in this country next year, make sure we don’t have 100,000 drug overdoses from Chinese fentanyl and Mexican heroin, and make sure we don’t have 17,000 homicides.”
“Those numbers need to be cut in half immediately,” Patel added, “and the public will regain trust in the FBI and law enforcement.”
Meanwhile, some FBI agents have voiced that they are not on board with the UFC plan, calling the idea “surreal” and “wacky.”
“There is training the FBI receives in physical altercations. If Kash Patel believed that should be beefed up, the answer is not to go to Donald Trump’s best friend who runs the UFC,” a former Justice Department official said.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below
