Australian Signals Directorate

Australian Signals Directorate (ASD; until 2013: Defence Signals Directorate, DSD) is an Australian government foreign intelligence collection agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information security (INFOSEC). ASD's role within UKUSA Agreement (Five Eyes) is to monitor SIGINT in South Asia and East Asia. The ASD also houses the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

The unit was established in 1947 by executive order as the Defence Signals Bureau within the Department of Defence, and underwent several name changes until its current name ASD was adopted in 2013. ASD was converted to a statutory body by the Intelligence Services Act 2001. ASD is based in Canberra, at the Defence Department Headquarters at Russell Offices. As of November 2013 its Director is Dr Paul Taloni, replacing Ian McKenzie on his retirement.

Overview
The principal functions of ASD are to collect and disseminate foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) and to provide information security products and services to the Australian Government and Australian Defence Force (ADF), its foreign partners and militaries.

ASD operates at least three receiving stations:
 * the Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station (ADSCS), located at Kojarena, near Geraldton, Western Australia,
 * the Shoal Bay Receiving Station, located at Shoal Bay, Northern Territory, and
 * a small station on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

ASD also maintains a workforce at Pine Gap in central Australia.

ADSCS and Shoal Bay are part of the United States signals intelligence and ECHELON analysis network. These stations also contribute signals intelligence for many Australian Government bodies, as well as the other UKUSA partners.

Electronic warfare operators in the Royal Australian Corps of Signals work closely with ASD. 7 Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) at Borneo Barracks,, Queensland is also associated with ASD..

In addition, it has been reported that many Australian embassies and overseas missions also house small facilities which provide a flow of signals intelligence to ASD.

UKUSA Agreement (Five Eyes)
Australia joined the UKUSA Agreement in 1948, a multilateral agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The alliance is also known as the Five Eyes. Other countries, known as "third parties", such as West Germany, the Philippines, and several Nordic countries also joined the UKUSA community. As the Agreement was a secret treaty, its existence was not even disclosed to the Australian Prime Minister until 1973, when Gough Whitlam insisted on seeing it. The existence of the UKUSA Agreement was discovered by the Australian government during the 1973 Murphy raids on the headquarters of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). After learning about the agreement, Whitlam discovered that Pine Gap, a secret surveillance station close to Alice Springs, Australia, had been operated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Pine Gap is now operated jointly by both Australia and the United States.

The existence of the Agreement was not disclosed to the public until 2005. On 25 June 2010, for the first time, the full text of the agreement was publicly released by the United Kingdom and the United States, and can now be viewed online. Under the agreement, ASD's intelligence is shared with UKUSA signals intelligence partner agencies:
 * the National Security Agency (NSA) – United States,
 * the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) – United Kingdom,
 * the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) – Canada, and
 * the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) – New Zealand.

Naming
The Directorate has operated under a number of different names since its founding:


 * 1947 – Defence Signals Bureau established within the Department of Defence
 * 1949 – name changed to Defence Signals Branch
 * 1964 – name changed to Defence Signals Division
 * 1978 – name changed to Defence Signals Directorate on recommendation of the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security (Hope Commission)
 * 2013 – name changed to Australian Signals Directorate

Director
its Director is Dr Paul Taloni, replacing Ian McKenzie on his retirement. Taloni was previously deputy director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) and chief of staff for former Defence Minister Stephen Smith.