Jul 12, 2024 - 13:35
By asiatimes.com

Amazon building Australia a billion-dollar military intel cloud

Amazon has secured an AUD$2 billion (US$1.35 billion) contract with the Australian Signals Directorate – the agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence and information security. A local subsidiary of Amazon Web Services will build a Top Secret Cloud to provide secure data storage for military intelligence.

The deal will securely manage top-secret data vital to Australia’s national security. This contract is expected to last over a decade. It will build three secure data centers at undisclosed locations in Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated this project will “bolster our defense and national intelligence community to ensure they can deliver world-leading protection for our nation.”

Set to be operational by 2027, the project is expected to create over 2,000 jobs and cost billions more in operating expenses over the coming years. So – why Amazon? And does Australia really need it?

Why Australia needs a secret cloud

Australia faces a rising tide of security challenges. The capability to securely store military intelligence is vital to guard against a host of potential threats.

The Australian Signals Directorate’s Director-General, Rachel Noble, explained the project will provide a “state-of-the-art collaborative space for our intelligence and defence community to store and access top secret data.”

The cloud is also part of the directorate’s REDSPICE program, which aims to improve Australia’s intelligence capabilities and cyber defenses. By moving to a modern cloud system, Australia can better protect its sensitive data. It will also improve coordination between different security agencies.