With no land borders and one of the world’s longest coastlines, Australia is a particularly challenging place to invade, or defend.
But the internet changes that equation by making the nation more vulnerable to threats in cyberspace than on the battlefield. So the government is stepping up, with China clearly at top of mind.
A new 10 billion Australian dollar ($7.5 billion) spending package unveiled recently for the Australian Signals Directorate over a decade is a massive increase for the Defense Department’s unit in charge of signals intelligence and cybersecurity. The funds will help the division double in size and triple its offensive capabilities. A further AU$38 billion was outlined to boost the nation’s defense force.