NCIS has been recognized for its ability to adapt its expertise in areas like interrogation, evidence collection, forensics, and more to the challenging environments in which naval forces operate. Naval commanders fighting insurgent movements in Southwest Asia, addressing piracy off the Horn of Africa, and facing down other dynamic threats like transnational terrorism increasingly seek NCIS expeditionary support for just this reason. These commanders recognize that the tools routinely used by law enforcement have immense value in countering the "irregular challenges" they face.

The NCIS Contingency Response Field Office (CRFO) is dedicated to providing deployable investigative support in high-risk environments around the globe. NCIS Special Agents who pursue a tour with CRFO receive specialized training to prepare them for service in overseas combat and contingency environments. All CRFO agents are volunteers. CRFO is able to surge its personnel virtually anywhere in the world on short notice to support:

• Criminal investigations;
• Counterintelligence investigations and operations;
• Counterterrorism investigations and operations;
• Specialized cyber and polygraph investigative requirements; 
• Protective service operations for senior officials; and
• Force protection requirements for military deployments and exercises, humanitarian assistance missions, major special events (such as the annual Army-Navy game); and other operational activities.