Vint Hill Farms Station (VHFS) was a United States Army and National Security Agency (NSA) signals intelligence and electronic warfare facility located in Fauquier County, Virginia, near Warrenton.
Today the site hosts various engineering and technology companies, as well as two Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control facilities, and the Cold War Museum.
The 701-acre (284 ha) facility was built because the Army needed a secure location near SIS headquarters in Arlington Hall to serve as a cryptography school and as a refitting station for signal units returning from combat prior to redeployment overseas.
It also provided a detailed description of Nazi fortifications along the French Coast, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower later said the information made a significant contribution to the D-Day invasion at Normandy.
[7][11][12] The Associated Press reported in 1989 that VHFS served as a "giant ear" operated by the NSA, with its likely target being foreign embassies in Washington, D.C., as well as international communications coming into the United States.
[3][9] Today the site hosts various engineering and technology companies,[9] Potomac Consolidated TRACON facility and, since 2011, the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
It occupies a two-story building (used for supply purposes when the base was open) adjacent to the Covert Cafe, the Vint Hill Craft Winery, and the Old Bust Head Brewery.