The Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate with Rachel Noble

Summary

Rachel Noble joins Andrew Hammond to discuss her role as Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate. Rachel is the first woman to hold this position. 

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• The Australian Signals Directorate: Its purpose and mission
• The true story of the Pine Gap spy facility
• Leadership in Intelligence
• The SIGINT origins of the Five Eyes alliance

Reflections

• The value of team
• The importance of work-life balance

And much, much more …

Episode Notes

This week on SpyCast, Andrew was joined in the studio by Rachel Noble, outgoing Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate. Her career in intelligence has spanned 30 years, culminating in her appointment as Director-General in 2020 – Making her the first woman to lead an Australian intelligence organization.

Director-General Noble will be retiring from public service this month after four years leading Australia’s cyber defense – She joined Andrew to discuss the important work of the ASD, share insights on leadership from the top, and reflect on the lessons she has learned over the decades of her career. 

And… 

In 2022, the National Museum of Australia showed a special exhibit called Decoded: 75 Years of the Australian Signals Directorate. While you can no longer see it in person, you can explore exhibit highlights and some extremely cool artifacts from the history of the ASD here. 

Quotes of the Week

“Women lead differently. We talk differently, we engage in different ways. And I've had to learn to own that about myself and not be tempted to try to be like the guys, compete with them on their own terms, or to adopt male behaviors in order to be heard … [Doing that] doesn't really help other women who might come after me.” – Rachel Noble.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*SpyCasts*

• Codebreaking and Codemaking Down Under with John Blaxland and Clare Birgin (2024)
• Australian National Day Special: Intelligence Down Under with John Blaxland (2024)
• SPY CHIEFS: Director-General of Security Mike Burgess - ASIO, Australia & America (2022)
• Keeping Secrets/Disclosing Secrets with Spy Chief turned DG of Australia’s National Archives David Fricker (2022) 

*Beginner Resources*

• What is SIGINT? YouTube (2020) [2 min. video]
• Who we are, Australian Signals Directorate (2020) [Short article]
• Our Agencies, National Intelligence Community of Australia (n.d.) [Overview of each agency in the Australian IC]

DEEPER DIVE

Books

• Revealing Secrets: An unofficial history of Australian Signals intelligence and the advent of cyber, C. Birgin & J. Blaxland (University of New South Wales Press, 2023)
• Spies & Sparrows: ASIO & the Cold War, P. Deery (Melbourne University Press, 2022)
• Australia's First Spies: The Remarkable Story of Australia's Intelligence Operations, 1901-45, J. Fahey (Allen & Unwin, 2019)

Articles

• New Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate appointed, Australian Ministry of Defence (2024)
• Australia spy agency moves intelligence data to cloud in Amazon deal, K. Needham, Reuters (2024) 
• Cracking the code: How intelligence and cyber reshaped Australian statecraft, J. Blaxland, The Interpreter (2023)
• The Garage Girls and their secret war machine, A. Probyn, ABS News AU (2023)
• Spies and scholars in the cyber age: researching intelligence in Australian policy and regional security, D. Schaefer, Australian Journal of International Affairs (2023)
• Eavesdroppers, code-breakers and digital snoops: a deep dive into one of the most secret branches of Australian intelligence, D. Baldino, The Conversation (2023)

Video

• Secret World War Two Codebreakers Finally Share Their Story, The Project, YouTube (2021)

Primary Sources 

• REDSPICE Blueprint (2022)
• Report of the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security (1977) 
• Australian Treaty Series: Five Power Defence Agreements (1971)
• Australian Treaty Series: Agreement between the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Government of the United States of America relating to the Establishment of a Joint Defence Space Research Facility (1966)
• Policy file containing Cabinet approval of establishment of Joint Intelligence Organisation and participation of New Zealand Government (1946) 
• ASD Role and effectiveness of Signals Intelligence in World War II (1945)

*Wildcard Resource*

• Rachel mentioned in this podcast episode that one of her favorite treats when coming to the States are Snickerdoodles – A delectable sugar cookie showered in cinnamon-sugar topping. 
• In the cookie world, snickerdoodles are a more recent invention with their first written mention being in an 1889 cookbook. Learn more about the history of cookies here!