YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — The National Security Agency is closing a secretive listening post it has quietly operated near Yakima since the early 1970s. The Yakima Research Station is located within the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center. The electronic eavesdropping operation has been linked to Echelon, a global surveillance network operated by the NSA. The office of U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings confirmed details of the closure. The Republican's district includes the NSA facility. A hastings spokesman says  the closure is part of NSA's effort to streamline and reorganize its operations, with some of the Yakima functions moving to Colorado. The  number of employees there is considered classified.

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