9/11 air threat conference transcript

[Micael]

This was declassified in 2015 (with redactions), but I can’t recall if someone has posted it on the board.

Anyway, it’s a long but interesting read, the redactions aren’t that heavy and half of them are obvious Site R/Raven Rock references (they missed some though). Some mistakes such as a part where the speaker is listed as the FAA but it’s obviously NORAD. Pretty interesting to see the details of the DEFCON 3 declaration and EAM announcement, SCATANA, continuity of government implementation and so on.

Link: https://www.archives.gov/files/declassi ... 6-doc1.pdf

[Poohbah]

Reading the beginning of the transcript...I am struck by the number of repeated requests for information, especially after the information was "we have no information."

[Micael]

Reading the beginning of the transcript...I am struck by the number of repeated requests for information, especially after the information was "we have no information."

There’s a whole lot of confusion, bad information, and general chaos as you read on.

One of the more amusing bits is the DEFCON 3 and EAM talk and the FAA doesn’t understand what’s going on so they have to explain it to them.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Reading the beginning of the transcript...I am struck by the number of repeated requests for information, especially after the information was "we have no information."

There’s a whole lot of confusion, bad information, and general chaos as you read on.

One of the more amusing bits is the DEFCON 3 and EAM talk and the FAA doesn’t understand what’s going on so they have to explain it to them.

SOP for a disaster.

[Micael]

Reading the beginning of the transcript...I am struck by the number of repeated requests for information, especially after the information was "we have no information."

There’s a whole lot of confusion, bad information, and general chaos as you read on.

One of the more amusing bits is the DEFCON 3 and EAM talk and the FAA doesn’t understand what’s going on so they have to explain it to them.

SOP for a disaster.

Yeah, though there are some examples odd confusion that you might not have expected. Probably due to people being stressed, I would think.

Like this snippet from the end of the document where NORAD is asking to verify that an E-4B is a 747 type aircraft.

[Johnnie Lyle]

There’s a whole lot of confusion, bad information, and general chaos as you read on.

One of the more amusing bits is the DEFCON 3 and EAM talk and the FAA doesn’t understand what’s going on so they have to explain it to them.

SOP for a disaster.

Yeah, though there are some examples odd confusion that you might not have expected. Probably due to people being stressed, I would think.

Like this snippet from the end of the document where NORAD is asking to verify that an E-4B is a 747 type aircraft.

Doesn’t surprise me. People tire pretty quickly in emergencies, especially if it’s their first real one. Disaster response is a skill like any other, and the more you do, the less it wears on you.

[Nightwatch2]

God that brings back a lot of bad memories

[Micael]

God that brings back a lot of bad memories

Sorry.

[jemhouston]

God that brings back a lot of bad memories

I'm wondering if we've forgotten the lessons learned that day.

[Micael]

One interesting thing is how there’s instances of an individual being identified as the originator of an order, and who isn’t technically in the chain of command. There’s the case of the vice president identified as having authorized the shootdown of aircraft (he later said that he had cleared it with the president first), and of the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff ordering DEFCON 3 (though the SECDEF had been identified as giving an earlier order that was held off on). Interesting how the relevant commands just accepts that without clarification though, given how much has been made over the years of how the military chain of command runs from the president to the SECDEF and then the commands, bypassing the vice president and the JCS.

Relevant passages below.

[Micael]

And the final ones:

[Nightwatch2]

Don’t misunderstand what was going on in that Emergency Actions Conference.

Keep in mind that The President was in instant communication at all times while on AF1 through both NAOC, direct line from the NMCC and direct point to point comms.

The Chairman of the JCS was also in immediate and direct communication. While the CJCS is NOT in the direct chain of command he does oversee the process and does order actions that the SecDef directs. When the CJCS is not immediately available, the VCJCS does that. That is what you are seeing in the conference call.

There were no actions taken or directed that the responsible individuals did not direct.

Of note, the DEFCON 3 declaration specifically did NOT start nuclear force generation. It was purely defensive.

As a point of reference, while on active duty I filled several of the positions on those EA Conference calls and did the routine above both in exercise and real world events including combat operations. Nothing, of course, on the scale above.

On 9/11, I was at a conference at a contractor facility and not on any of those conferences. Quite a lot of my friends and colleagues in NEADS, CONR, CMOC and NAOC were.

A hard day indeed. Thanks for posting it. Much of what happened and why has indeed been forgotten. We need to make sure that we never forget no matter what country we come from.

[Micael]

Don’t misunderstand what was going on in that Emergency Actions Conference.

Keep in mind that The President was in instant communication at all times while on AF1 through both NAOC, direct line from the NMCC and direct point to point comms.

The Chairman of the JCS was also in immediate and direct communication. While the CJCS is NOT in the direct chain of command he does oversee the process and does order actions that the SecDef directs. When the CJCS is not immediately available, the VCJCS does that. That is what you are seeing in the conference call.

There were no actions taken or directed that the responsible individuals did not direct.

Of note, the DEFCON 3 declaration specifically did NOT start nuclear force generation. It was purely defensive.

As a point of reference, while on active duty I filled several of the positions on those EA Conference calls and did the routine above both in exercise and real world events including combat operations. Nothing, of course, on the scale above.

On 9/11, I was at a conference at a contractor facility and not on any of those conferences. Quite a lot of my friends and colleagues in NEADS, CONR, CMOC and NAOC were.

A hard day indeed. Thanks for posting it. Much of what happened and why has indeed been forgotten. We need to make sure that we never forget no matter what country we come from.

Thanks, it’s good to get some clarification. As an aside I’m surprised that they left in the references to the NAOCs being in their ”primary survival orbit”. I would have thought that that would be sensitive, even though it isn’t clarified what the orbit is located exactly.

[Nightwatch2]

The fact that they went there, I am surprised a little since it might have given away where it is.

The “where it is” would be very sensitive