WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have announced Operation Not Forgotten 2026, the fourth year of a coordinated federal initiative targeting unresolved violent crime in Indian Country. The operation, part of the FBI’s Operation Steadfast Promise, will deploy additional personnel and resources to support investigations and victim services in tribal communities.
The initiative focuses on cases involving violence against American Indian and Alaska Native persons, with particular emphasis on missing or murdered individuals and crimes against women and children. Federal officials said the operation will continue coordination among U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and tribal law enforcement agencies.
As outlined by the Department, FBI personnel will be temporarily assigned to 11 field offices to provide investigative, intelligence and analytical support for active and cold cases. Prior iterations of Operation Not Forgotten have supported more than 700 investigations, contributing to arrests, recoveries and federal charges.
Justice Department leadership characterized the initiative as part of the federal government’s trust responsibility to tribal nations, highlighting the jurisdictional complexities of criminal enforcement in Indian Country and the need for sustained interagency collaboration to address violent crime.