Aussie special forces to be called in to deal with domestic terror threats: defence dep't

Australia's army could be given special permission to intervene in terror-related threats on domestic soil, under a secret proposal aimed at clarifying the power the armed forces have in Australia.

Following the review of the deadly Lindt Cafe siege which occurred in Dec. 2014, the government is reportedly fast-tracking paperwork which would allow the army to intervene in deadly hostage situations so there is no reliance on the local police forces - which were heavily criticized for being unable to handle the siege situation in Syndey's CBD.

Two hostages were killed when gunman Man Haron Monis stormed the Lindt cafe in Sydney almost two years ago, something which resulted in widespread reviews of Australia's anti-terror laws.

While army intervention is considered to be unnecessary and belligerent in Australia, News Corp reported on Monday that the Defence Department was considering 'handing over the keys' so that extra pressure isn't placed on uniformed 'beat cops' when faced with terror.

Australia's Defence Minister Marise Payne told The Australian newspaper that quickly deploying trained special forces to deal with high-pressure situations was a better option than risking the lives of everyday police officers against potentially armed gunmen.

"Therefore we are conducting a review of the legislative framework that supports Australian Defence Force (ADF) domestic security operations, as the Australian public would expect from responsible government," Payne said on Monday.

She said national security had changed dramatically since the Defence Act was last altered prior to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Since those Games, the attack on New York's World Trade Center and the rise of Islamic State have drastically changed national security landscape.

"Lessons from (recent times) highlighted the need to review the legislative framework in light of the changing security environment," Payne said.

Defence Department sources believe the current laws, which only allow army intervention after a drawn-out and confusing process in which the threat must be assessed to exceed the capacity of local police, are outdated.

News Corp reported that many believe the laws are not suited to preventing or minimizing the harm from a Paris-style mass shooting attack - in which armed terrorists stormed concerts and streets, shooting automatic weapons into crowds. Endit