President Biden also learned about Austin's hospitalization several days late, reports the US media Politico. The Minister of Defense is said to have been in the intensive care unit for four days.
of the United States Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin promises greater transparency in reporting than before, after the country's defense ministry, the Pentagon, received criticism regarding Austin's recent trip to the hospital.
Austin was hospitalized on Monday due to complications from a medical procedure, but the Department of Defense did not say so until late Friday.
News channel by NBC News according to Austin had been in the intensive care unit for four days. According to the channel, the Ministry of Defense did not inform the high-ranking officials of the White House about being hospitalized until Thursday.
“I understand the media's concern about transparency, and I understand that I could have done a better job of making sure the public was properly informed. I am committed to doing better,” Austin said in a statement posted on the Department of Defense website. in the statement.
“This was my medical procedure and I take full responsibility for my decisions regarding disclosure.”
Press Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Major General Pat Ryder told NBC that Austin had resumed full duties Friday night.
According to NBC, Austin was still in the hospital on Saturday, and a source at the news outlet said it was unclear when he would be released.
“I am very pleased to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon,” Austin said in a statement.
Ministry of Defence officials have not agreed to say what kind of medical procedure Austin had or when the procedure was done, NBC reports. They also declined to provide details on how serious Austin's condition was earlier this week.
Deputy Minister of Defence Kathleen Hicks was ready to step into Austin's shoes during the hospital trip and made routine decisions on his behalf, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense told AFP.
According to NBC's source, the deputy defense minister, who was on leave from his duties, had been vacationing in Puerto Rico when Austin had been hospitalized.
News site Politico According to the report, Austin's hospitalization had been reported, among other things, to the US National Security Advisor To Jake Sullivan not until thursday. After this, Sullivan had also told the president about it For Joe Biden.
According to Politico's official sources, it is highly unlikely that Austin would have passed on the information to Biden privately before Sullivan briefed the president.
“If Jake didn't know, the president certainly didn't know either,” one of the site's sources said.
According to Politico, the US Congress learned about Austin's hospital visit fifteen minutes before it was made public on Friday.
of the United States a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, a Republican senator Tom Cotton demanded answers. He stressed that the Minister of Defense is a key link in the chain of command between the president and the armed forces, when important decisions have to be made on a minute schedule.
The Pentagon Press Association, which consists of journalists covering the activities of the Ministry of Defense, criticized the ministry for hoarding information. The union described the delay that lasted for days as shocking.
“The public has a right to know when members of the United States government are hospitalized, under anesthesia, or transferred as a result of any medical procedure,” the union said in a letter to the Department of Defense press secretary.
The Minister of Defense's hospitalization coincided with the war declared by the US-backed Israel and its extremist organization Hamas, as well as the escalating tensions in the Middle East. Iranian-backed forces in Yemen have carried out attacks on shipping lanes. There have also been attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria using rockets and drones.
While Austin was in the hospital, the US also carried out an attack in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, which angered the Iraqi government. A representative of the Ministry of Defense, who previously commented on the matter to AFP, said that Austin was aware of the Baghdad attack, and according to him, Austin and President Joe Biden had previously given approval for the action in question.
#United #States #Minister #Defense #promises #transparency #criticism #hospital #trip
