The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is preparing to set up a service delivery hub ahead of the $10 billion REDSPICE cyber security program.

Under REDSPICE (an acronym for ‘resilience, effects, defence, space, intelligence, cyber and enablers’), the ASD will effectively double its staffing over the next ten years as part of a large-scale expansion of the nation’s offensive and defensive cyber security capabilities.

Preparations for the big boost are already underway, including executive hiring and the establishment of state-based ‘cyber hubs’. Some early delivery work has been outsourced to KPMG.

Reports say the agency is preparing more contracted delivery support work, though it says all functions will be led by ASD staff.

ASD intends to bring in contractors to bolster its project management office, information and data management functions, as well as its business management office, and to assist with change management communications and industry engagement.

REDSPICE is also set to bring a substantial increase in resourcing for what ASD calls the ‘integrated service delivery (ISD) hub’, which is “responsible for innovation surge activities across ASD to uplift a number of enterprise services or functions that are fundamental to the ongoing delivery of REDSPICE”. 

The hub has been given some “short term” (defined as three-to-six month) goals, including  improvement activities, and measures to track the maturity of various ASD functions needed to deliver REDSPICE.