What is Hunter Seeker?
Hunter Seeker is an innovative exercise program facilitated by Hagerty’s cadre of intelligence, counterterrorism, public safety, and homeland security experts. Typically spanning multiple days, this exercise program brings together agencies and organizations within the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) to enhance coordination, intelligence sharing, and response operations.
Designed to test operational components and address preparedness gaps, Hunter Seeker challenges participants to prevent a critical incident by proactively exchanging intelligence and facilitating post-incident information sharing during simulated emergencies. Participants analyze data to identify perpetrators, relying on timely, accurate information exchange across the ISE for success.
Unlike traditional exercises, where information sharing is often secondary, our program places intelligence exchange at the core of the scenario, shaping the entire event. This approach mirrors the concept of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, where real-time decisions have direct, downstream consequences on response and recovery efforts. As a result, participants are immersed in a high-stakes environment reflecting real-world operations, fostering critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
Hagerty’s team has successfully developed and implemented exercises nationwide, partnering with fusion centers and agencies from public safety, government, military, and private sectors. Ultimately, Hunter Seeker bridges the gap between theory and practice, equipping participants with the confidence and competence needed to handle crises.
Program Application
Our programs are designed with an unparalleled intensity that allows for hyper-realistic scenarios to be developed on a range of threats, including:
- Active Threats / Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks (CCTAs)
- Acts of Violent Extremism
- Critical Infrastructure Attacks
- Cyber Disruptions
- Trafficking
Regardless of the scenario or duration, our exercises deliver a realistic learning experience to participants, fostering collaboration across multiple jurisdictions.
What To Expect When Participating:
Information Sharing Discovery
Our designers work closely with participating agencies to understand their objectives and tailor exercises to meet their goals. They then craft scenario elements to replicate real-world communication flows and decision-making processes, providing an authentic training experience.
Flexible Levels of Commitment For Exercise Participation
The flexibility of Hunter Seeker allows exercises to span multiple days, with agencies able to tailor both the duration and scale of their involvement. Some organizations may choose to participate for just a few hours in a single day, with anywhere from one to five individuals, while others may engage for the full duration with a larger staffing footprint. This scalability allows agencies to validate information sharing across shift changes or with new participants, ensuring continuity throughout the exercise. Active participation gives agencies a deeper understanding of their role in supporting the ISE during an incident.
Validating Decision-Making in a No-Fault Learning Environment
In Hunter Seeker, participating agencies will face critical decision-making situations, where much like in real-world scenarios, their choices carry consequences. However, in this no-fault learning environment, the focus is on growth and learning from each action. Hunter Seeker analysts provide valuable support through reverse mapping, identifying gaps in information sharing, and offering insights for improvement.
Experiencing Realistic Challenges
We design programs to challenge agencies across crisis management, information security, multi-agency coordination, and the mitigation of cascading impacts. The team simulates these challenges through various modes of communication, including a dedicated Simulation Cell and simulated social and news media.
Testimonial from a Fusion Center
“I wanted to formally write you and give you thanks for all the hard work you put into the design and implementation of our exercise. The staff found the exercise to be beneficial in many ways and we were overwhelmingly impressed with your team’s professionalism and dedication to provide such an impressive exercise. As the staff went through the prevention, response, and recovery portions of the exercise, we found it to be difficult. Our information-sharing protocols and procedures were certainly tested. The three-day period was complex, and the scenarios were well-planned. Many of our team members commented on the pressure the exercise put on them. At the end of the three days, we certainly had many takeaways that strengthened our dedication to gather, analyze, and disseminate intelligence to public safety stakeholders to mitigate the threat. The continual planning and exercising of our protocols and tools is of vital importance to our success and we are thankful for the venue you gave us to test those procedures.”
