Former prime minister John Howard has doubled down on his decision to join the US’ invasion of the Iraq war, stating while allied countries did not find the suspected weapons of mass destruction which justified the invasion, the decision was ultimately made in “Australia’s national interest”
His comments coincide with the National Archive of Australia’s release of a tranche of 2004 cabinet records, which reflect deliberations around Australia’s ongoing commitment to the conflict.
Mr Howard committed Australia to the Iraq War, initiated by US president George W. Bush and justified due to the belief the country possessed WMDs, in 2003.
However searches failed to detect such weapons.
Although Mr Howard said that was “disappointing,” he said he still “tenaciously” believes the decisions were made in good faith and based on US and UK intelligence.
“We were wrong, in fact, but not maliciously and I thought some of the criticism, not directed as sharply in Australia … (but) I thought some of the criticism directed at (then UK prime minister) Tony Blair in Britain was very sharp and very vociferous and not justified,” he said.
He added that: “I thought my role was to assess the Australian national interest, and that’s above all what I was sworn to uphold and I thought I pursued that because I thought it was in our national interest to put a curve on the capacity of terrorists to get a hold of weapons of mass destruction … but I also thought it was in Australia’s national interest to listen carefully to assessment of the international realities and situations by our close friends and ally in the Americans”.
Mr Howard also said while allied forces did not find “stockpiles” of WMDs, “we certainly found plenty of evidence of the capacity to rapidly assemble them,” justifying his decision to commit Australian troops to the conflict.
Following the initial US invasion, which resulted in the capture of Ba’athist leader Saddam Hussein in December 2003, Iraq transitioned to a new sovereign government which was slated to begin on June 28, 2004.
Cabinet records from the time reflected discussions around Australia’s continued involvement in the conflict, which was marked by insurgency from Ba’ath nationalists, Islamic Sunni, and Shia groups.
In one piece of correspondence released by the NAA, then defence minister Robert Hill wrote to Mr Howard on February 5, 2024 requesting a discussion on the “possibility of our deploying further ADF personnel to train the Iraqi army and Australia’s posture, most broadly, in Iraq”.
Mr Hill said developments in Iraq were “at a critical stage” with the country set to transition to a sovereign government from the US-controlled Coalition Provisional Authority following the 2003 Iraq War.
He added that an increased Australian defence presence would “play an important role in maintaining and enhancing Australia’s national interests in Iraq during the transition and beyond”.
It would also be a “demonstrable example” of Australia’s commitment to the US alliance, Mr Hill wrote.
Ultimately the National Security Committee agreed to deploy an additional 53 Australian Defence Force personnel to help train the Iraqi army, and committed to the continued presence of Australian warships, which was funded through the $644.7m given to the Australian Defence Department from 2004 to 2007 for Operations Bastille, Falconer and Catalyst).
Reflecting on the nation’s continued involvement, Mr Howard said Australians “can take great pride” in efforts to protect a Japanese engineer construction unit in April 2005, which resulted in the deployment of 450 troops to the southern province of Al Muthanna.
The decision followed the Dutch withdrawal in the area, which prompted requests from the US and UK.
Although Mr Howard had initially promised that Australian troops would not return to Iraq during the 2004 election, he said touring the country during the campaign showed him the move would be welcomed.
“I found as I moved around the country that the idea that we should leave the Japanese engineers unprotected, was not one the Australian people supported,” he said.
“It reminded me of just how remarkable it had been, the recovery of relations between Australia and Japan following WWII … those wounds had been very satisfyingly put behind us … and there was very strong support for Australia providing that military protection for the Japanese engineers.”
Throughout the war, which ended in 2011, Australia troops continued to maintain a presence in Iraq until July 2009, following a decision by Mr Howard’s successor, Kevin Rudd.
By 2006, there were about 1400 Australian soldiers serving in Iraq.
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