Australia Signals Directive (ASD) -- the government agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence, support of military operations, cyber warfare and information security -- will gain a big chunk of money to boost the country's cyber warfare capabilities.
ASD will receive AU$4.2 billion (US$3.15 billion) to double its employee head count, triple its offensive cyber capabilities, double its cyber hunt and response activities as well as preserve its ability to deliver a "strategic advantage" over the next four years, ZD Net reported.
The funding is known as Redspice -- which stands for Resilience, Effects, Defense, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers. The overall Australian cybersecurity budget for 2022 is AU$9.9 billion (US$7.4 billion).
Australia: China, Russia Cyber Concerns
Australia, similar to the United States, is particularly concerned about alleged China and Russia cyber activities. On a related note, Australia has aligned with the Ukraine amid Russia's invasion and war against that neighboring country. Indeed, Australia has committed AU$70 million ($50 million) to fund lethal defensive weapons for Ukraine, including missiles and ammunition, Reuters reported in early March 2022.
