US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has been hospitalised at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center yet again due to an “emergent bladder issue”, the Pentagon said in a statement on Sunday (Feb 11).
Unlike the previous hospitalisations that were kept secret, the deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks, joint chiefs of staff, the White House and Congress had already been notified about Austin’s health crisis.
“At this time, the secretary is retaining the duties and functions of his office,” read the statement, adding that Austin had “classified and unclassified communications systems necessary to perform his duties”.
Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary said an update will be provided on Austin’s condition to the public as soon as possible.
Notably, Austin had vanished from the public eye in December and early January this year after suffering complications from treatment for prostate cancer. Austin kept the hospitalisations secret with the White House, Pentagon and other important departments and people remaining oblivious that President Joe Biden’s top military adviser was missing from action for an extended period.
Timeline of Austin’s hospitalisation
Austin, 70, had undergone minor surgery on December 22 after early detection of prostate cancer in routine screening.
After the procedure, Austin recovered without event and returned home the next morning. However, complications soon emerged and evaluation revealed that abdominal fluid collection was impairing the function of his small intestines.
The defense secretary was hospitalised on New Year’s Day (Jan 1) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to complications from an elective medical procedure.
Surprisingly, the Pentagon did not make any official announcement until four days later while waiting to notify other top government officers about Austin’s absence.
During the period, Austin was away from action, and some of his powers were transferred to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.
However, even she was not informed that his boss had been hospitalised until two days later.
Austin apologises
After it emerged that Austin had kept his absence hidden, the Republicans demanded that he turn in his resignation letter for not upholding the protocols.
Being the secretary of defence, Austin is required to be available at a moment’s notice to answer any national security crisis. However, his absence put the country in danger – a mistake that could have been easily avoided.
Earlier this month, Austin issued an apology, stating he did not handle the crisis right.
“I want to be crystal clear. We did not handle this right and I did not handle this right. I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public and I take full responsibility,” Austin said.
“I apologize to my teammates and to the American people,” he added.
Austin claimed that he did not direct his “staff to conceal hospitalisation from anyone” further adding that he had not considered resigning.
(With inputs from agencies)
