ASD Corporate Plan 2021-22

Director-General's Introduction

I, as the accountable authority of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), present the 2021–22 ASD Corporate Plan, which covers the period 2021–22 to 2024–25, as required under paragraph 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.

ASD continues to build its foundational capabilities, structures and enterprise governance that we need as a statutory agency within the Defence portfolio, tailored to the unique nature of our work. This Corporate Plan includes, for the first time, ASD’s full performance framework, including measures that will be used to evaluate ASD’s performance. ASD will continue to improve its foundational capabilities over the period covered by this plan.

Our external environment is changing rapidly. The Defence Strategic Update 2020 states that “This security environment is markedly different from the relatively benign one of even four years ago, with greater potential for military miscalculation”. ASD’s highest priority will always be the protection of Australian lives, whether that is supporting Australia’s warfighters or detecting, and in some cases disrupting, malicious threats against Australian interests.

ASD’s success will depend on developing an organisation that is built around our people and the work they do, now and in the future. ASD will continue to prioritise its analyst-centric business transformation, as well as reforming our learning and development, to help our staff gain the skills required to meet emerging threats and challenges. The coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic has driven ASD to reflect on optimising working arrangements, including through more flexible work.

My vision for ASD is that we are a world-class intelligence, covert effects and cyber security agency, enabled by talented dedicated people, leading-edge capabilities, strong partnerships, and the trust of the Australian public – and we will continue strengthening accountability, transparency and governance of our activities to further build this trust.

This plan outlines the steps we will take to achieve this vision in 2021–22 and beyond.