Defence & veteransAgencyExists today
Australian Signals Directorate
ASD
May 2013 – present
Previously Defence Signals Directorate (1978–2013).
Australia's signals intelligence and cyber security agency, which collects foreign signals intelligence, protects government and critical systems against cyber threats and conducts offensive cyber operations.
Names over time
- Defence Signals Bureau1947–1949
- Defence Signals Branch1949–1964
- Defence Signals Division1964–1978
- Defence Signals Directorate1978–2013
- Australian Signals Directorate2013–present
How it came into existence
Renamed from the Defence Signals Directorate in May 2013, when the 2013 Defence White Paper announced the new name to reflect its national role in signals intelligence and cyber security.
Legislation: Intelligence Services Act 2001
Changes during its life
- 1 July 2018Became an independent statutory agency within the Defence portfolio under the Intelligence Services Act 2001, as amended by the Intelligence Services Amendment (Establishment of the Australian Signals Directorate) Act 2018, and took in the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
- Cyber Security Operations Centre
- Cyber threat monitoring and incident response
Main functions
- Foreign signals intelligence
- Cyber security advice, monitoring and incident response
- Offensive cyber operations
- Cryptographic and communications security for government
- Support to military operations
Where it sits
In the portfolio of Department of Defence.
- Type of body
- Non-corporate Commonwealth entity
- Portfolio
- Defence
- Accountable authority
- Director-General – Intelligence Services Act 2001 section 27A(2)(b)
- ABN
- 22 323 254 583
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- List of Commonwealth entities and companies under the PGPA Act, 1 July 2026 (Department of Finance)
- Australian Government Organisations Register (Department of Finance, data.gov.au) (listed from 11 December 2014 to the latest release (30 June 2026))