White House officials confirmed recently that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized due to an urgent bladder condition.
A lengthy hospital stay Austin had at the start of the year has now brought him under criticism. It has not been determined if his recent hospitalization was connected to his prior health issues.
According to a statement by Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, Austin was taken by his security team to Walter Reed Medical Center to be examined.
Ryder said all necessary persons, including the White House and Congress, were notified. According to Ryder, Austin will continue his work responsibilities. According to the Pentagon, updates on Austin’s status will be provided as soon as feasible.
In 2022, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the secretary formed the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to coordinate military supplies for Ukraine. According to reports, Austin was set to go to Brussels, Belgium, to host a group meeting.
Austin had been scheduled to attend a NATO defense ministers meeting after the one in Belgium. Instead, he would preside over a monthly virtual gathering of fifty nations that coordinate military assistance for Ukraine.
Austin was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center in January after problems from a minimally invasive surgery for prostate cancer, as stated by Pentagon authorities in a January statement. According to Pentagon bulletins that updated the public on the defense secretary’s condition, Austin remained hospitalized from January 1st to the 15th due to difficulties that arose from his operation while under general anesthesia.
News of Austin’s illness and absence from the office did not reach President Joe Biden, according to subsequent reports, until a few days later. The president was not notified of his defense secretary’s cancer diagnosis until January 9, according to the White House.
There were growing demands for the Defense Secretary’s dismissal as a result of the lack of transparency around his illness, despite Pentagon officials claiming they did not disclose his absence for medical and privacy reasons.
An online statement by the DOD Inspector General said that an internal inquiry was initiated last month to investigate Austin’s absence and hidden hospitalization.
Austin admitted his failure to handle the situation appropriately at a news event at the Pentagon on February 1.
