Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later Tuesday after being treated for bladder problems, the Pentagon said.
Mr Austin, 70, had had ongoing health problems since undergoing surgery to treat prostate cancer in December. He returned to Walter Reed Hospital over the weekend with bladder problems, his second time in the intensive care unit since his surgery.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon on Monday, January 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Austin underwent a non-surgical procedure under general anesthesia on Monday to address bladder issues, but doctors said they did not expect him to be hospitalized for an extended period of time.
Austin spent two weeks at Walter Reed Hospital last month after complications from surgery.
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Defense Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the bladder problem is not related to Austin’s prostate cancer, but did not say whether it was an additional complication from the December surgery. Ta.
Austin plans to return to his regular duties upon his return from the hospital. He is scheduled to host a virtual conference on Wednesday of about 50 countries that meet monthly to coordinate military aid to Ukraine.
FILE – Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator/File)
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The defense secretary visited Brussels on Tuesday for a Ukraine meeting, followed by a quarterly meeting with NATO defense ministers scheduled for later this week. Instead, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julie Smith will represent Austin at the meeting.
