Patel targets 700 new FBI agents as bureau trims vetting for insiders
The FBI is planning to make it easier for some existing administrative support staff to become special agents by removing two longstanding vetting steps, Reuters reported.
Currently, support personnel seeking to become agents must pass a panel interview and a writing assessment. Under the proposed changes, these applicants would need to pass a written exam through an online portal and get a recommendation from an FBI division leader. From there, they would head straight to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, for training. Reuters clarified that these candidates must still complete the academy’s required coursework.
Pushback over removed safeguards
The streamlined application process is part of an internal push by FBI Director Kash Patel to hire 700 new special agents this year to bolster the agency’s roughly 10,000-agent workforce. One source told Reuters the panel interview often screens out a significant number of applicants.
Because of this, former officials argue the proposed shortcut removes vital screening mechanisms. Retired supervisory special agent Jeff Crocker told Reuters that in-person interviews were essential for evaluating a candidate’s maturity, verbal communication and analytical problem-solving skills. Crocker warned that relying on a web-based test to mint new agents would be “generationally harmful to the republic.”
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the bureau is “lowering standards or removing qualifications in any way.” He told Reuters the change is meant to remove “duplicative, bureaucratic steps” for onboard employees, while still requiring a division leader’s recommendation and completion of the training program at Quantico. Reuters reported the changes apply only to those already hired into administrative roles and do not apply to all applicants.
Reuters also emphasized that the accelerated pathway is exclusively for current administrative employees, one of several talent pools the FBI draws from, and does not apply to external candidates.
Broader recruiting and training changes
This change follows a reportedly larger overhaul of the FBI’s hiring and training protocols. In August 2025, The New York Times reported that Patel and then-Deputy Director Dan Bongino were preparing to waive the longstanding requirement that new agents hold a four-year college degree.
Additionally, the Times noted that a forthcoming class of recruits scheduled for October was slated to undergo just eight weeks of instruction at Quantico, a sharp reduction from the traditional 18-week curriculum. Former counterterrorism official Chris O’Leary strongly condemned the plan, telling the Times that such reductions amount to “generational destruction” that could cripple the agency’s effectiveness and reputation.
Staffing pressure and competing priorities
These recruiting adjustments arrive as the FBI braces for a severe staffing shortage. The Times reported that budget-cutting measures introduced by the Trump administration, specifically severance and early retirement incentives, were projected to push more than 5,000 employees out of the agency by September 2025. Consequently, the bureau projected its specialized agent workforce could shrink from 13,000 to 11,000.
Meanwhile, the agency’s day-to-day focus is also shifting. Current and former agents told the Times that abrupt reassignments to street-level violent crime have stalled multi-year investigations into counterintelligence and public corruption.
Patel strongly defended this pivot. In a recent Fox News column reflecting on his first year in office, the director argued the bureau’s renewed focus on violent crime and homeland defense is yielding “historic results.” To support his claim, Patel pointed to massive spikes in overall arrests, dismantled gangs and seized fentanyl as proof that the administration’s strategy is working.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
