ASD Corporate Plan 2022-23

Foreword

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence

The Australian Government is committed to keeping our nation safe and protecting our way of life.

Throughout its 75 year history, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has defended Australia from global threats and advanced our national interests. It remains at the frontline of defending our nation and keeping Australia safe and secure.

As our strategic environment becomes more complex and less predictable, the work performed by ASD is more important than ever.

This Corporate Plan outlines how ASD will respond to these challenges over the next four years, including through increased investment in ASD’s cyber and intelligence capabilities. This investment, known as the REDSPICE (Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber, Enablers) package, recognises the critical role ASD plays in our national security.

Director-General’s introduction

I, as the accountable authority of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), present the 2022–23 ASD Corporate Plan, which covers the period 2022–23 to 2025–26, as required under paragraph 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.

ASD’s purpose is to defend Australia from global threats and advance our national interest. For 75 years, ASD’s core functions to achieve this purpose have been added to, but the fundamentals have not changed. ASD’s highest priority will always be the protection of Australian lives, whether that is through supporting Australia’s warfighters or detecting and, in some cases, disrupting malicious threats against Australian interests.

The environment in which ASD operates is becoming increasingly challenging. Today, our region is far more complex and far less predictable than at any time since the Second World War. To meet these changes in the strategic environment, ASD must continue to evolve its capabilities. We must be able to handle the increasing complexity and volume of data, respond to new developments in technology, provide our people with the best possible tools to achieve our purpose, and be resilient to the environment. The REDSPICE package is designed to respond to these challenges.

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 Corporate Plan outlines the steps we will take to achieve this vision in 2022–23 and beyond. ASD will evaluate and report on its performance against its purpose and key activities in the 2022–23 Annual Report.