As concerns arise over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s health, senior Biden administration officials, top Pentagon officials, and members of Congress were reportedly kept uninformed for days about his hospitalization, according to U.S. sources.
The Pentagon’s reticence to disclose why Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday – and how serious his condition is – stunningly goes against standard procedure for the president, other senior U.S. officials, and Cabinet members at a time when the country is managing several national security issues from Ukraine to Israel.
Austin, 70, was hospitalized on New Year’s Day for “complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” according to the Pentagon, which failed to notify National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the White House National Security Council about it until last Thursday.
However, according to an anonymous White House official, President Joe Biden reportedly spoke with Austin on Saturday and expressed the utmost confidence in him.
“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” said Austin in statement on Saturday – without providing any useful indications about his condition. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
Austin is the U.S. military’s second-in-command after Biden, and part of his job is to be ready to go at any time to deal with any kind of national security emergency. It is still unknown how many of his responsibilities were transferred to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, or if Austin had any input into any significant choices made while he was away.
According to sources, Austin’s hospitalization took his deputy by surprise too, as she was on vacation in Puerto Rico. Austin returned to his full responsibilities on Friday night, according to his spokesman, but as a precaution, he remained in the hospital. When asked why the hospital stay was kept under wraps for so long, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder responded on Friday that it was an “evolving situation” and that the Pentagon had chosen not to disclose Austin’s absence because of privacy and health concerns.
The Pentagon chief’s illness coincides with a string of attacks by Iranian-backed militias using drones, missiles, and rockets on American military installations in Iraq and Syria, which prompted the Biden administration to mount multiple counterattacks. U.S. armed forces also lead a coalition of states formed to deal with attacks by Yemeni Houthi militiamen on commercial vessels allegedly linked to Israel.
