Rocky Mountain Spies

The next boomtown for spend-happy spies is . . . Aurora, Colo.? The growing Denver suburb will play home to a major operations center for the National security Agency, amid a broader move by the intelligence community to align its operations with the military.

The Denver Post first reported

NSA's move in January, and the buzz spread that its electronic eavesdroppers were building a new "warning hub" at Buckley Air Force Base. National security historian William M. Arkin has reported that the base is a major downlink for intelligence satellites, including NSA's. Buckley also is home to the 40oth Space Wing, which runs the Defense Support Program satellites, the "eyes in the sky" that detect missile launches and warn the military.

Given the Centennial State's pivotal role in national security-U.S. Northern Command is at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs-it makes sense that NSA and other intelligence agencies would want to centralize operations. (The CIA last year planned to move a division to Denver.) But relocating also is a great deal.