Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin died Monday in the Washington area, two weeks after experiencing complications from surgery to treat prostate cancer and keeping it a secret from subordinates at the Pentagon and superiors in the White House. He was discharged from the hospital.
Austin doctors said in a statement that the 70-year-old will continue to work remotely for “a period of time” and undergo physical therapy, but is expected to make a full recovery.
“I am grateful for the excellent care I received at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and would like to thank the excellent doctors and nursing staff for their professionalism and excellent support. I also wish them a speedy recovery. I appreciate and appreciate all that you have done for me,” Austin said.
“He is currently recuperating and continuing his duties at home and hopes to make a full recovery and return to the Department of Defense as soon as possible.”
Austin was rushed to Walter Reed National Military Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, on the night of January 1st due to severe pain from a urinary tract infection, a complication of the prostatectomy he underwent on December 22nd. , the White House was not informed. As a result, he was hospitalized until January 4th.
Instead, he secretly delegated authority to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks on January 2, without telling her or other Pentagon colleagues the reasons behind it.
Hicks, who was vacationing in Puerto Rico at the time, didn't learn that Austin had been hospitalized for another two days.
The Pentagon announced Austin's hospitalization in a Friday news dump on the evening of Jan. 5, but the Secretary of Defense kept the full details of his hospitalization quiet until Tuesday of this week, when Walter Reed doctors and others announced that it was news to the Pentagon and both countries. issued a statement. White House.
The secrecy sparked outrage on Capitol Hill, with some lawmakers calling for Austin to resign.
Critics of the defense secretary say the attack comes at a time when the United States is dealing with the fallout from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and conducting airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen while the secretary of defense is out on bail. Austin noted that he felt gloomy.
Despite the backlash, the White House expressed confidence in Austin, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby telling MSNBC on Friday, “We will all learn from this event, but the Secretary of Defense will remain in their jobs.”
During a visit to Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Friday afternoon, President Biden told reporters when asked if he still trusted Austin, “I do,” but said he was disappointed that Austin had not informed him of his illness. Asked whether he had shown an error in judgment, he answered, “Yes.” .
