Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Sunday afternoon. The Pentagon said Austin was exhibiting symptoms of “urgent bladder illness.”
“At approximately 2:20 p.m. today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was transported by security personnel to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for evaluation for symptoms suggestive of an emergency bladder condition.” The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced. press release. “We have notified the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We have also notified the White House and Congress.”
Original Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Said Austin will continue to serve as Secretary of Defense while hospitalized. But Ryder said Sunday night that Austin “has transferred the functions and duties of his office to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.”
Austin is planning his first overseas trip since his first hospitalization this week.
Austin was scheduled to leave for Brussels on Tuesday to host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group. Austin was also scheduled to attend a regular meeting of NATO defense ministers.
It is unclear whether those plans were canceled due to the hospitalization.
Sunday’s announcement came just weeks after the first hospitalization.
Austin had previously undergone surgery for prostate cancer on December 22, but suffered from a urinary tract infection and severe intestinal complications.
Austin was admitted to the hospital on January 1, but President Joe Biden was unaware of the concerning medical situation for three days.
The day after Austin was admitted to the hospital, he transferred his authority to a deputy.
The secrecy of Austin’s hospitalization was widely criticized.
Austin returned to in-person work at the Pentagon at the end of January.
“We didn’t take care of this right, and I didn’t take care of this right,” Austin admitted at a press conference earlier this month.
“I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis,” he added. “I should have told the team and the American people, and I take full responsibility.”
Austin defended himself by saying he’s “a pretty private person.”
“I never like to burden others with my problems,” he says. “That’s not my style.”
Austin apologized directly to President Biden for not informing the administration about his hospitalization, saying he “deeply regrets it.”
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