To Stop cyber, terrorist and criminal threats, the Government is investing $9.9 billion in Australia’s intelligence and cyber capabilities, bolstering the Government’s commitment to Australia’s Five Eyes and AUKUS trilateral partners while supporting a secure Indo-Pacific region to protect Australians and their businesses.
$9.9 billion over 10 years to deliver a Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers (REDSPICE) package, which Government says will enhance the offensive and defensive cyber and intelligence capabilities of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).
REDSPICE is the most significant single investment in the Australian Signals Directorate’s 75 years. It responds to the deteriorating strategic circumstances in our region, characterised by rapid military expansion, growing coercive behaviour and increased cyber attacks.
REDSPICE will help to expand the range and sophistication of Australian intelligence, offensive and defensive cyber capabilities.
With the above initiatives, REDSPICE aims to achieve the following 5 broad goals:
- Scaling cyber effects capabilities.
- Developing new intelligence capabilities.
- Enhancing Australia’s cyber defence.
- Increasing resilience and redundancy.
- Improving foundational technologies.
According to the REDSPICE blueprint, REDSPICE will “expand the range and sophistication of our [Australia’s] intelligence, offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, and build on our [Australia’s] already-strong enabling foundations.
Specifically, the blueprint sets out the following as the key initiatives of the REDSPICE program:
- Investing $9.9 billion over the decade, the largest ever in cyber and intelligence capabilities.
- Workforce growth of 1900 over the decade.
- Growing and delivering asymmetric strike capabilities and offensive cyber for the ADF.
- Enabling next-generation data science and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
- Hardening networks against cyber-attack with sharpened response capability.
- Enhancing intelligence capabilities.
Improving core ASD resilience by bolstering our national and international footprint.
- Providing opportunities for Australian industry, including cyber, ICT, cloud computing and enabling services.
