Suspicious package at U.S. Air Force base overseeing Iran operations had ‘possible energetic materials’ | 19 March 2026 | A suspicious package found outside a gate at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida contained “possible energetic materials,” the FBI has announced. Energetic materials are substances that store large amounts of chemical energy and release it rapidly when triggered by heat, shock or friction, often resulting in explosions, propulsion or combustion. Authorities were alerted to the package on Monday after it was discovered near a secured entry point at the base, prompting an immediate response from bomb disposal teams and federal investigators. Officials have not yet confirmed whether the package was intended as a functional explosive device or if it posed an immediate danger. MacDill Air Force Base is home to U.S. Central Command and US Special Operations Command, making it one of the most strategically significant military installations in the country.