PM Howard in DC when 9/11 hit; Australian reporter recalls the day
Reporter James Grubel was in Washington on 9/11. He watched the Pentagon strike. The event and its global security impact reshaped Australia's policy.
Prime Minister John Howard was in Washington DC. He was meeting with President George W Bush on September 11, 2001.
News of the attacks reached the press pack. AAP's chief political reporter James Grubel was there.
He watched the day unfold in real time. The Pentagon strike happened just 5km away.
Smoke billowed across the Potomac River. Journalists were evacuated to the Australian embassy.
The scale of the event slowly became clear. Its global impact slowly became clear.
Ten Australians were among the nearly 3,000 who died. Three days later, Howard invoked the ANZUS treaty.
This committed Australia to military action. The event reshaped Australia's security policy and political approach for 25 years.
- 10
- Australians killed
- 5 kilometres away
- Pentagon distance
- September 11, 2001
- Date
- ANZUS, three days later
- Treaty invoked
Why it matters9/11 triggered Australia's military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. It changed how Australia thought about national security and foreign policy.
AustraliaThe attacks led Australia to invoke ANZUS and deploy troops overseas, a decision that defined Australian foreign policy for two decades and still echoes in current security debates.
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