Fears of ‘chain-reaction’ 9/11 attack

Two decades since the attack on the United States that changed the world, cabinet papers released on Saturday reveal how John Howard scrambled to shore up our defences, even as the government knew supporting the war in Afghanistan would make Australia a target.The former prime minister was in Washington on 9/11 and rushed to track down his wife and son, who were sightseeing near the Pentagon on the morning it was hit by the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, claiming 189 lives.“I had a lot of things on my mind, they were part of the concern … but they were OK,” Mr Howard told News Corp.“My fears were there would be chain-reaction attacks – the next attack might be in London or Tokyo or Shanghai or Sydney.”Three weeks later, Defence Minister Peter Reith told cabinet that “intelligence reporting indicates that terrorist attacks in Australia cannot be discounted”, and Australia’s support of the US-led military response “raises our profile with the terrorists themselves”.Mr Reith said the possibility of similar simultaneous attacks in Australia would be “highly problematic for our counterterrorist forces at their current level of capability”.The cabinet backed Defence’s plan to establish a second tactical assault group, stationing elite Special Air Services Regiment soldiers on Australia’s east and west coasts to respond to terrorist attacks, including chemical, biological and radiological strikes.But even this arrangement could only handle “two simultaneous small-scale incidents”, Mr Reith told his colleagues, and it could not be extended for more than six months because of a lack of equipment and personnel.The dual tactical assault group set-up was later made a permanent part of Australia’s counter-terror response.By the start of October in 2001, the government also decided to place armed and highly trained security officers on some domestic and international flights while tightening baggage checks and strengthening the security of aircraft cockpits.In an interview with News Corp to mark the release of the cabinet papers, Mr Howard reflected on his decision to invoke the ANZUS Treaty for the first time in the 50 years since it was established.He made the call the day after 9/11 while on-board Air Force Two, the vice presidential plane the US military used to take Mr Howard to Hawaii, as all commercial flights into and out of American airspace had been cancelled.Mr Howard said invoking ANZUS was suggested by Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, which he immediately supported. The decision paved the way for Australia to join the US in the war in Afghanistan, although a cabinet document from December highlighted that the government was cautious about a long-term commitment.Mr Howard’s national security committee noted that it was “not inclined to commit significant ADF assets or personnel to any medium-term or long-term stabilisation or peacekeeping force in Afghanistan”.Coalition forces finally withdrew from Afghanistan last year after two decades, and the government collapsed as the Taliban violently took control of the country. Australian forces managed to rescue 4100 Afghans from the capital of Kabul.Mr Howard said he did not regret Australia’s involvement in the war, given how it turned out.“You have no way of knowing … hindsight is a wonderful thing,” he said.“The immediate purpose of going into Afghanistan was to rout out the Taliban and prevent al-Qaeda from mounting another attack like 9/11, and that worked.”National Archives cabinet historian Chris Wallace said 9/11 was a “decisive factor” in the Howard government’s re-election in 2001, and it shifted the importance of security issues in domestic politics.“2001 is the year when Australia pivoted into this new securitised mindset,” Dr Wallace said.

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January 01, 2022 at 12:30AM
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Two decades since the attack on the United States that changed the world, cabinet papers released on Saturday reveal how John Howard scrambled to shore up our defences, even as the government knew supporting the war in Afghanistan would make Australia a target.The former prime minister was in Washington on 9/11 and rushed to track down his wife and son, who were sightseeing near the Pentagon on the morning it was hit by the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, claiming 189 lives.“I had a lot of things on my mind, they were part of the concern … but they were OK,” Mr Howard told News Corp.“My fears were there would be chain-reaction attacks – the next attack might be in London or Tokyo or Shanghai or Sydney.”Three weeks later, Defence Minister Peter Reith told cabinet that “intelligence reporting indicates that terrorist attacks in Australia cannot be discounted”, and Australia’s support of the US-led military response “raises our profile with the terrorists themselves”.Mr Reith said the possibility of similar simultaneous attacks in Australia would be “highly problematic for our counterterrorist forces at their current level of capability”.The cabinet backed Defence’s plan to establish a second tactical assault group, stationing elite Special Air Services Regiment soldiers on Australia’s east and west coasts to respond to terrorist attacks, including chemical, biological and radiological strikes.But even this arrangement could only handle “two simultaneous small-scale incidents”, Mr Reith told his colleagues, and it could not be extended for more than six months because of a lack of equipment and personnel.The dual tactical assault group set-up was later made a permanent part of Australia’s counter-terror response.By the start of October in 2001, the government also decided to place armed and highly trained security officers on some domestic and international flights while tightening baggage checks and strengthening the security of aircraft cockpits.In an interview with News Corp to mark the release of the cabinet papers, Mr Howard reflected on his decision to invoke the ANZUS Treaty for the first time in the 50 years since it was established.He made the call the day after 9/11 while on-board Air Force Two, the vice presidential plane the US military used to take Mr Howard to Hawaii, as all commercial flights into and out of American airspace had been cancelled.Mr Howard said invoking ANZUS was suggested by Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, which he immediately supported. The decision paved the way for Australia to join the US in the war in Afghanistan, although a cabinet document from December highlighted that the government was cautious about a long-term commitment.Mr Howard’s national security committee noted that it was “not inclined to commit significant ADF assets or personnel to any medium-term or long-term stabilisation or peacekeeping force in Afghanistan”.Coalition forces finally withdrew from Afghanistan last year after two decades, and the government collapsed as the Taliban violently took control of the country. Australian forces managed to rescue 4100 Afghans from the capital of Kabul.Mr Howard said he did not regret Australia’s involvement in the war, given how it turned out.“You have no way of knowing … hindsight is a wonderful thing,” he said.“The immediate purpose of going into Afghanistan was to rout out the Taliban and prevent al-Qaeda from mounting another attack like 9/11, and that worked.”National Archives cabinet historian Chris Wallace said 9/11 was a “decisive factor” in the Howard government’s re-election in 2001, and it shifted the importance of security issues in domestic politics.“2001 is the year when Australia pivoted into this new securitised mindset,” Dr Wallace said.