Cryptographic School at Vint Hill Farms renamed ASA School
Oct. 15, 1946
After World War I, the Army’s cryptographic elements were transferred to the Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, N.J. On Oct. 5, 1942, the Cryptographic Division transferred from Fort Monmouth to Vint Hill Farms Station, Va., and became known as the Signal Corps Cryptographic School. It trained both officers and enlisted students in two shifts until new facilities were completed in May 1943. In June 1944, the school became known as the Vint Hill Farms School with a focus on cryptanalysis, traffic analysis and cryptographic equipment maintenance.
When the Army Security Agency was created in September 1945, it assumed the mission of the former Signal Intelligence Service. The Vint Hill School was renamed the ASA school on Oct. 15, 1946, encompassing both officer and enlisted training.
The ASA School moved to Carlisle Barracks, Pa., in 1949 and then to Fort Devens, Mass., in 1951, where it eventually became known as the U.S. Army Security Agency Training Center and School. In October 1976, the USASATC and S became part of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Huachuca, although signals intelligence training remained primarily at Fort Devens until 1994, when all MI training was consolidated under USAICS.
Today, while the responsibility for all MI training falls to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, many of the SIGINT courses are taught offsite, at Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo, Texas, and Corry Station, Pensacola, Fla.
“This Week in History” is a feature on the Command History Office website. Those with Army Knowledge Online access can go to their site, https://ikn.army.mil/apps/mi_history/.
