Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) asked why the White House and senior officials were not immediately informed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized earlier this week, and why the situation remained complicated until days later. He said there was a need to explain why. The Biden administration is tackling a number of overseas national security issues.
Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday due to complications from a recent accident. elective medical procedures” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday, as relayed to reporters at the time.
Ryder said the hospitalization was not reported to the media, citing “medical and personal privacy issues.” But he also wasn't immediately informed by the National Security Council, the Pentagon, Congressional leaders or White House staff, officials confirmed to Fox News.
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said this at a Pentagon briefing last year. Mr Austin was hospitalized this week and has come under fire after it emerged senior US leaders, including President Biden, were not informed until days later. The Department of Defense informed the media on Friday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik/File)
“Secretary Austin is concerned that the Department of Defense did not immediately notify President Biden and the National Security Council that he was hospitalized and unable to perform his duties,” Cotton said in a statement Saturday. We must address the reports promptly.” “The Secretary of Defense is a critical link in the chain of command between the president and the uniformed military, including the nuclear chain of command, when the most important decisions must be made within minutes.
“If this report is true, there must be some impact on this shocking failure.”
Following Austin's hospitalization, his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, who was not physically present at the Pentagon on pre-scheduled leave, assumed some duties Monday through Friday, officials told Fox News. Ta.
Officials said the National Security Council and President Biden were not informed of Austin's hospitalization until Thursday, and Congress was not informed until Friday, minutes before an official statement was made to reporters. The official said that senior Pentagon officials were also not informed.
Austin had been in intensive care after undergoing elective surgery, which he did not wish to make public. This secrecy is in contrast to Marine Corps Commander Eric Smith, who suffered a heart attack on October 29, 2023. A press statement was issued within hours and regular updates were sent.
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Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. (Screenshot/CSPAN/File)
In a statement released Saturday, Austin acknowledged concerns about transparency but expressed gratitude to Walter Reed's doctors, colleagues and friends.
“I am very pleased to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Department of Defense soon,” he said. “I also understand the media's concerns about transparency and recognize that we could have done a better job of ensuring the public is properly informed. I am committed to doing better. But this is important: This is my medical practice, and I take full responsibility for my decisions regarding disclosure. ”
The delayed news infuriated reporters. The Pentagon Press Association (PPA), an organization that serves as a voice for journalists who cover the Pentagon, sent a letter from its board of directors to Secretary Austin's staff on Friday night.
“We are writing this letter to express our grave concerns about: Department of Defense “Secretary Lloyd Austin's ongoing hospitalization was withheld from the public and media,” the letter said, adding, “He has been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days, and it was not until late Friday that the Pentagon informed the public. “The fact that I warned him about it.'' In the evening, there was outrage. ”
Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. (Tom Brenner/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
News of Austin's hospitalization comes at a complicated time for the Biden administration. U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have increasingly come under attack by Iranian-backed groups with drones and rockets. Local ground forces have so far repelled more than 100 attacks.
Furthermore, the United States continues to supply arms to Ukraine, while also providing financial and arms assistance to Israel in its war against Hamas, and is thus embroiled in a proxy war with Russia.
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Several American warships were also in the Red Sea, shooting down dozens of drones and ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
On Thursday, the U.S. military announced it had killed Iraqi terrorist leader Mushtaq Javad Kazim al-Jawali. He is the leader of the Iranian-backed Harakat al-Nujaba group, which has been involved in planning and carrying out attacks on Americans.
