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The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security agency responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage,sabotage,acts of foreign interference,politically motivated violence,attacks on the Australian defence system,and terrorism. ASIO is part of the Australian Intelligence Community and is comparable to the FBI (US) and MI5 (UK).
The Australian Secret Intelligence Service is the foreign intelligence agency of Australia,tasked with the covert collection of information overseas through personal contacts and other means of human intelligence. It is part of the Australian Intelligence Community and is also responsible for counter-intelligence and liaising with the intelligence agencies of other countries such as the NZSIS. ASIS was formed in 1952 but its existence remained secret within much of the government until 1972. ASIS is comparable to the American CIA and the British MI6.
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD),formerly the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD),is the federal statutory agency in the Australian Government responsible for foreign signals intelligence,support to military operations,cyber warfare,and information security. ASD is part of the Australian Intelligence Community. ASD's role within UKUSA Agreement is to monitor signals intelligence ("SIGINT") in South and East Asia. The ASD also houses the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
The Communications Security Establishment,formerly called the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC),is the Government of Canada's national cryptologic agency. It is responsible for foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) and communications security (COMSEC),protecting federal government electronic information and communication networks,and is the technical authority for cyber security and information assurance.
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,formerly the Main Intelligence Directorate,and still commonly known by its previous abbreviation GRU,is the foreign military intelligence agency of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The GRU controls the military intelligence service and maintains its own special forces units.
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB;its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterintelligence Service (FSK) which was reorganized into the FSB in 1995. The three major structural successor components of the former KGB that remain administratively independent of the FSB are the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR),the Federal Protective Service (FSO),and the Main Directorate of Special Programs of the President of the Russian Federation (GUSP).
The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) is the public-service department of New Zealand charged with promoting New Zealand's national security by collecting and analysing information of an intelligence nature. The GCSB is considered to be New Zealand's most powerful intelligence agency,and has been alleged to have conducted more espionage and data collection than the country's primary intelligence agency,the less funded NZSIS. This has at times proven controversial,although the GCSB does not have the baggage of criticism attached to it for a perceived failure to be effective like the NZSIS does. The GCSB is considered an equivalent of GCHQ in the United Kingdom or the NSA in the United States.
The United Kingdom –United States of America Agreement is a multilateral agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence between Australia,Canada,New Zealand,the United Kingdom,and the United States. The alliance of intelligence operations is also known as the Five Eyes. In classification markings this is abbreviated as FVEY,with the individual countries being abbreviated as AUS,CAN,NZL,GBR,and USA,respectively.
The Government of China is engaged in espionage overseas,directed through diverse methods via the Ministry of State Security (MSS),the Ministry of Public Security (MPS),the United Front Work Department (UFWD),People's Liberation Army (PLA) via its Intelligence Bureau of the Joint Staff Department,and numerous front organizations and state-owned enterprises. It employs a variety of tactics including cyber espionage to gain access to sensitive information remotely,signals intelligence,human intelligence as well as influence operations through united front activity targeting overseas Chinese communities and associations. The Chinese government is also engaged in industrial espionage aimed at gathering information and technology to bolster its economy,as well as transnational repression of dissidents abroad such as supporters of the Tibetan independence movement and Uyghurs as well as the Taiwan independence movement,the Hong Kong independence movement,Falun Gong,pro-democracy activists,and other critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The United States alleges that the degree of intelligence activity is unprecedented in its assertiveness and engagement in multiple host countries,particularly the United States,to which various US officials contend economic damages,prosperity and stolen innovations have resulted in $US320-445 billion annually since its inception and activities.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) is a joint committee of the Parliament of Australia which oversees Australia's primary agencies of the Australian Intelligence Community:Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO),the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS),the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD),the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO),the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (DIGO),and the Office of National Assessments (ONA).
The Australian Intelligence Community (AIC) and the National Intelligence Community (NIC) or National Security Community of the Australian Government are the collectives of statutory intelligence agencies,policy departments,and other government agencies concerned with protecting and advancing the national security and national interests of the Commonwealth of Australia. The intelligence and security agencies of the Australian Government have evolved since the Second World War and the Cold War and saw transformation and expansion during the Global War on Terrorism with military deployments in Afghanistan,Iraq and against ISIS in Syria. Key international and national security issues for the Australian Intelligence Community include terrorism and violent extremism,cybersecurity,transnational crime,the rise of China,and Pacific regional security.
The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an Anglosphere intelligence alliance comprising Australia,Canada,New Zealand,the United Kingdom,and the United States. These countries are parties to the multilateral UK-USA Agreement,a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence. Informally,Five Eyes can refer to the group of intelligence agencies of these countries.
The Director-General of Security is the executive officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO),Australia's national security agency. The Director-General,through ASIO,has overall responsibility for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage,sabotage,politically motivated violence,attacks on the Australian defence system,terrorism and acts of foreign interference.
Major General Duncan Edward Lewis is an Australian military officer,diplomat and intelligence chief. From 2014 to 2019,he was the Director-General of Security of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). Prior to that appointment,he held the post of Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium,the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He is a retired Australian Army officer,and formerly Special Operations Commander Australia (2002–2004),National Security Adviser,and Secretary of the Department of Defence.
Cyberwarfare by China is the aggregate of all combative activities in the cyberspace which are taken by organs of the People's Republic of China,including affiliated advanced persistent threat (APT) groups,against other countries.
John Charles Blaxland is an Australian historian,academic,and former Australian Army officer. He is a Professor in Intelligence Studies and International Security at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University.
The Department of Home Affairs is the Australian Government interior ministry with responsibilities for national security,law enforcement,emergency management,border control,immigration,refugees,citizenship,transport security and multicultural affairs. The portfolio also includes federal agencies such as the Australian Border Force and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. The Home Affairs portfolio reports to the Minister for Home Affairs,currently held by Clare O'Neil,and was led by the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs,Mike Pezzullo,until his sacking in November 2023 for breaching the code of conduct. In 2022,the Australian Federal Police,Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and Australian Transaction and Analysis Center were de-merged from the department and moved to the Attorney General portfolio.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC),the successor to the Cyber Security Operations Centre,is the Australian Government's lead agency for cyber security. The ACSC is part of the Australian Signals Directorate and is based at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation headquarters in Brindabella Business Park in Canberra. The Centre is overseen by the Cyber Security Operations Board and is the joint responsibility of the Minister for Defence.
Rachel Noble is the Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate. She was appointed to the position in February 2020 and is the first woman to hold the position.
References
- ↑ "UniSA Alumni Awards Recipient: Mike Burgess". University of South Australia. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- 1 2 Easton, Stephen (8 August 2019). "From code-breaking and cyber security to counter-terrorism: ASD boss picked to lead ASIO". The Mandarin. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ↑ Hendry, Justin (1 December 2017). "Mike Burgess returns to ASD". iTnews. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ↑ "Spy boss to take over top job at ASIO". ABC News. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ↑ Galloway, Anthony (9 February 2022). "ASIO tracking foreign spies on dating apps Tinder and Bumble". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ↑ Hurst, Daniel (28 February 2024). "Australian politician 'sold out' to foreign regime after being recruited by spies, Asio boss says". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 22 April 2024.