Australia Prepares IDR 265.7 Billion For Cyber Security Rapid Response Team In The Pacific

Minister for the Pacific, Pat Conroy, when meeting with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. (photo: x parconroy1)

JAKARTA - On Wednesday, November 22, Australia announced that it would allocate USD 26.2 million (IDR 265.7 billion) to form a "fast assistance" team to respond to the cybersecurity crisis in the Pacific region, as well as USD 16.7 million to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the Pacific Islands.

The increased cybersecurity comes after Australia and the United States committed last month to funding two new submarine cables Google will implement in the Pacific Islands, with the aim of increasing connectivity for eight remote archipelago countries.

The Minister for the Pacific, Pat Conroy, stated that the rapid response team would "build long-term resilience in the Pacific" and provide critical support.

Last year, Vanuatu's government, hospital, and courts were locked out of computer and email systems for several weeks by a hacker, just days after a new general election was held, and Australia sent security experts to provide assistance.

The Fiji government announced on Tuesday, November 21 that a new submarine cable network that Google will implement, connecting the United States and Australia through Fiji, will bring an investment of 89 million US dollars (Rp1.3 billion) to Fiji and will see the construction of the first Tier 3 data center in the Pacific Islands.

The second underwater cable will connect the United States and Australia via French territory.